


Veil of time Prequel

by AkeboshiShiba



Series: The Veil of Time [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-04 00:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4120474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkeboshiShiba/pseuds/AkeboshiShiba





	1. Chapter 1

Things could have been different…so much different. The pain she felt…it was nothing…nothing compared to the fact she had still failed. She felt useless, just as useless as everyone had called her. The looks, the words, their actions towards her, they all said she was a failure. What right did she have to attempt to save the future by saving the past? Perhaps someone stronger could have…like Neji…but no, it had been her to attempt to do so. His dark eyes screamed out to her, just as he appeared to actually be yelling…but she couldn't hear anything.

His eyes were glistening, but she knew he wasn't about to cry; he wouldn't…not for her…would he? No. The only ones he cried for were the ones she failed to save. He had grown cold, but every time she had failed him, she had seen him cry…then she had seen the hatred. This man…was fearless now. Cold, fearless, and he hated her. She knew he did…she had proven herself to be quite useless in his eyes.

Her eyes drifted down to her stomach, the shining metal was coated in her blood. This was all a mistake, she should have never come to this time…not for him…not for anyone…but, she could have made it out of this alive. If she hadn't gotten to know him the way she had…if she hadn't fallen in love with the dark soul he was. Everyone makes mistakes…but this was the biggest mistake she had ever made. She didn't regret falling for him; he had been the perfect person for any Kunoichi to fall for. He was strong…brave…he wasn't loud or obnoxious…he had once held a kind heart but her failures had turned him cold…he in his own right was the meaning of perfection, she had just brought him down with her...

Her heartbeat slowed; her lips felt like ice compared to the warmth her blood gave them. She had done this for him, as one last chance to say she was sorry; sorry that she had failed them all. The sword had been removed a little earlier and now the blood trickled freely from her opened mouth. It…it burned to breathe. She closed her eyes as she felt herself going cold; she knew she was fading away and wouldn't be alive much longer. She had fallen to her knees, but she didn't feel anything. Her vision began dulling and she could hardly see.

What she did see was the man before her, crying. He hadn't meant to kill her…he was fighting the other man, the one she cared so deeply for, but she had gotten in the way. She could tell he hadn't meant to hurt her; he had quickly removed the blade once his shock had worn off. He held her in his arms, her head lolling to his upper arm. He held her to himself tightly, she could understand why…or so she thought. He had just caused the death of an innocent; she figured that's what his thoughts were. She hadn't trusted him, nor had she trusted his brother; but she had understood them. She figured that they thought of her as a younger sister, even though she had been weary of them. Even so, they had treated her like she belonged. She had lived with him…they had taken care of her; but she betrayed them…for the one they were fighting…

Her eyes drifted over to the dark eyed man that had fallen to his knees, his hand outstretched to her; his eyes held pain…regret…sorrow…and the emotion that she had seen every time he had looked at his younger brother…she saw the love in his eyes, it was pained…but it was still love, although subtle. But something wasn't right about him either, he appeared to have blood on his lips, she figured he had gotten hit or something…she had taken the end of the blade for him, hadn't she?

She breathed a shaky breath and forced herself to smile. "T-this…" she managed, her eyes shaking as tears fell from them. "This…could ha-have been di-different…" she managed as the light faded from her eyes and she fell limp in his arms, sad how in the end; the one who had been the one to take her life, cradled her body in her last moments. Her eyes drifted to him, the one she loved. The last words she ever heard him speak were ones that would have made her heart skip a beat; she never would have known that those words were words of war, as her last breath left her; she had thought the best of those words; even if the deceit and hatred behind them wasn't subtle. "If it were different…I never would have found my purpose…"

-:-:-:-seven months earlier-:-:-:-

Her eyes opened and she knew this was what had to be done. She brought the blade up and with swift movements, her hair fell around her; inky blue-black strands stood out against the green grass. She bound her chest tightly, but not too tightly; if she was going to pretend to be a guy, she had to have the same body shape of a guy, not a well-endowed woman. She had come to this time, knowing almost exactly what she was running head first into. She wrapped medical gauze around her eyes, her eyes were extremely feminine; but she also knew her eyes were rare; the Senju had slaughtered the clan for the existence of the jumper. They had taken the jumper down with the rest of the clan, defeating the purpose of their mission.

Her hair was shoulder length and spiky now, her bangs in front choppy and jutting out in spikes. Her hairstyle now reminded her of a combination of Naruto and Sasuke's hair; dark and spiky, yet longer than both of theirs. She focused on steeling her nerves; sooner or later she was going to encounter Madara. She was here to save him from his fate of hatred and war, but the fates seemed to hate her. She had no idea how to do so…she didn't know what triggered his anger and rage…she had no idea how to fix any of this. She had run in blindly and now she couldn't leave.

Not even a day ago she was at home, in her bed reading. The village had begun being rebuilt after Pein had destroyed it. She had been perfectly fine dealing with the upcoming war as well, but then she got this ridiculous idea. "Hey! Let me go save Madara and restore the world to peace by making sure this never happens! Yeah! That will work!" she muttered angrily. The guy was bound to be like… a hundred and fifty in her time…but no…the masked man had to claim to be Madara Uchiha. And yes…she had to go back with her kind hearted self and try and stop every bad thing from happening.

What a genius she was…She activated her Byakugan and searched the surrounding area. Not a soul in sight as far as she could see, which was pretty far; judging on how she was at the border of fire country and could see konoha's birthplace from here. Obviously, the village wasn't there yet, there were only two compounds that were pretty far apart. One was in the center of the forest, while another was located by where the Hokage stone faces would be. She pulled on the black shinobi tunic over heavy fishnets. She wore slightly baggy pants as well. The off white armor was the last thing she put on.

Attracting attention was the last thing she needed, so she would avoid the civilian village; where rumors flew like a flock of birds. She headed straight for the shinobi inn, when she got there, heads turned and eyes narrowed. Men were drinking at the bar and women were shaking slightly. Hinata sat in a booth in the corner and a woman walked over to her. "C-can I get you something, sir?" she asked and Hinata frowned; is that what she sounded like when she stuttered? "Just water please…" she said and the woman nodded frantically, not even caring how Hinata sounded.

Hinata spoke in whispers, so her voice could not be detected as a woman's. A few men from the bar walked over and sat around her, nudging her and trying to get her attention. Hinata's frown became and annoyed sneer. "Don't touch me." She hissed, trying to be intimidating. "Oh did we piss off the newbie?" they chuckled and she sighed, this wasn't going to work. They punched her shoulder hard; Hinata's brows furrowed and she grit her teeth. "Touch me one more time…" she began but they laughed and punched her again. The moment her glass touched the table, the three men's heads hit the table; Hinata having struck the three in the neck with her gentle fist.

She thanked the meek woman and stood, leaving her water behind. The fact she took out those three caused an uproar in the inn. Five more guys rushed on her and she fluidly avoided their drunken hits and kicks. She swiftly took them out, not hesitating for an instant. She then made her way up to the bar and looked at the bar maid, who flinched in fear; despite not being able to tell if Hinata were actually looking at her. "I need a room." Hinata said and she nodded frantically. "Yes sir!" she stammered and Hinata nodded as she handed her a key.

Hinata felt the eyes staring from the bar; she knew they held other intentions. She knew it was a Senju, and she knew that he was going to run straight to his clan leader and tell him of the blind shinobi that took out a bar because they bothered him. She knew that staying longer than one night in this particular inn, was not going to be good for her health. She slipped into her room and before she could get settled, a knock was at her door. She furrowed her brow and walked over to the door. She peeked through the crack between the door and wall and her eyes widened. This was not who she had been expecting. Her hands trembled and her heart raced…what could she do? Could she hide? Could she tell him go away?

"I know you are in there, and I know what you are." His deep voice rumbled from behind the door. Her heart raced even faster, her breathing rapid. Her shaking hands reached for the doorknob and her nails tapped against the doorknob in her fear. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you…" his voice rumbled once more. She tightened her grip on the knob and she pulled it open and took a few shaky steps back. He looked both ways down the hall before he entered the room. He shut the door behind him as he strolled in leisurely.

"How do you know what I am?" she whispered and he smirked lightly. "Only a woman has flexibility like that." He said and her eyes went wide, she was not expecting that. She thought he knew she was a Hyuuga. "So I can't really fool your eyes then can I?" she asked and he chuckled. "My brother pointed it out. I had no idea until he told me, to be honest. But I thought I would test his theory." He chuckled and she laughed lightly. He was different from what she had imagined him to be. She thought that he would be like Sasuke, cold and uncaring…but he didn't seem to be so.

"What's your name?" he asked and she ran a hand through her hair softly. "Hinata…" she said and he raised a brow. "Well that's just not going to work…" he said and she looked at him oddly. "You need a guy name, you can't be acting like a guy and named like a girl. How about Hiro? Or Ryuu? Ryuu is pretty cool…same for Okami…" he said offhandedly and she begun to feel at ease, he didn't seem that bad…"Ryuu…as in dragon and Okami as in wolf?" she asked and he nodded. "Dragons have a flame that I see within you. Or maybe Hibiki...you seem to need an echo." He chuckled and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. "Okami, is fine, it makes me feel kinda fierce. Thank you." She said lightly and he nodded.

"Now…I have to go, but be safe….Okami-chan." He chuckled and she nodded. "By the way…my name is Madara, if you ever need help, just call." He said and Hinata nodded. "Goodbye…Madara." She said and shut her door as he gave her a one handed wave. She yanked the gauze from her eyes; it was starting to irritate her eyes. She needed to find something else to hide her eyes instead of the gauze, a mask would do; but she would have to find one first. She smiled slightly, preferably a wolf mask to match her given name.

She rested in the inn for the night, but was gone before dawn, she knew if she had stayed any longer then she wouldn't have made it out; judging on the amount of Senju she could see motivating towards the inn. She bit her lip and sighed in relief, her heartbeat began to slow after her fright. They had been knocking on every door they walked past, asking for the man, Okami. She had heard the barmaid's sniveling and knew she had to run. Her thoughts drifted to Madara, he seemed nice enough, but she wasn't sure she could trust him so easily.

A crunch behind her let her know that someone was on her trail. She activated Byakugan, hoping to see Madara's chakra signature; but it was not him. It was four Senju, she knew she could take them; they didn't have very well developed chakra signatures. Her chakra system was far more advanced than theirs were; their chakra systems looked more like the chakra system of a civilian. Did they not believe in training those in their clan? She whirled on them and they dropped into taijutsu stances.

"So this is how you fight?" she asked quietly and fell into her own sloppy Hyuuga stance. They lunged and her arms swiftly knitted the net of chakra around her and it expanded and sent them flying back. They stood back up and Hinata focused her chakra into her blade that she pulled off her back. They pulled their own blades and prepared to attack again but with one swipe of her blade, theirs shattered before their eyes. "Interesting…I came out here thinking you would be in need of help, Okami-san. How wrong was I?" Madara's voice rumbled from behind her. 'Great, now because of him I'm stuck right in the middle of the feuding clans…' Hinata thought with a frown.

She prepared to use a kage bunshin, but tree roots wrapped around her and Madara jumped backwards. "Hashirama!" he exclaimed excitedly and the man who had his hands in position to hold the jutsu sighed. "Madara." He said simply, but then he turned to her. "I wish to speak with you, Blind warrior." Hashirama said and Hinata tried not to snort at how retarded that sounded. "You realize, I am not blind correct? I am just very good at fighting without using my eyes." She said and Hashirama raised a brow.

"Then why didn't you dodge, I'm assuming you can see clearly even through the gauze, am I correct?" Hashirama asked and Hinata began to fret. Was he saying he knew what she was? "Well, it's time for me to bid the two of you adieu." Hinata said lightly and her clone exploded, sending shards of wood all over so Madara could get away as well. Madara chose not to confront Hashirama at the moment; he had to report to his father. Hinata hit the ground running; the wind whipped her hair all over the place. She was breathing fast, her heart racing. She was scared, there was no doubt about that…

She lost her footing on the tree branch and slipped; she hit the ground and hard, she felt the crack as it happened. A scream ripped from her throat and tears soaked through her bandages covering her eyes. She gently brushed her fingers over her leg to feel for the break. She winced once her fingers brushed over it, her hand glowed green and the green chakra forced the bone back into place swiftly with a second resounding crack. She heard two soft thuds on the ground and she looked up to see glowing red eyes.

"Okami-san, are you alright?" Madara asked as he looked around. "I'm fine, I had broken my leg is all." Hinata whispered and used the medical kit from her pack to create a makeshift splint to keep the bone form moving back out of place. "Break a leg doesn't mean literally do so, you know." Izuna sighed and dropped something in front of her. Hinata looked up at them but they were gone. She lifted the wrapped item up and stared at it in slight surprise. It was a wolf mask much like the Anbu wore in her time. She smiled lightly and ripped the gauze from her eyes as she placed the mask over her face and secured it.

She whimpered as she tried to stand and failed to do so. Three thuds landed in front of her and she looked through the small eye holes in her mask to see the fearsome three: Butsuma, Hashirama, and Tobirama. She forced herself to stand and stumbled back, trying to ignore the pain in her leg. "Suiton: water barrier." She whispered and a barrier of water surrounded her as they walked closer. "Okami-san, please drop the water barrier, we do not wish to fight you." Butsuma said and Hinata glared at him through her mask, she knew he could feel the anger from her.

Tobirama stood with his arms crossed, no surprise there…her eyes went wide when his fingers twitched and her water rippled. She slammed her hands together and made an ice shell around herself by using the freezing winds to drop the temperature of the water. She began to feel the drain now; she had barely slept since she had been here. Most of the time she had either been on the run or fighting people off. She dropped her hands and stared at them. "What do you want with me? You don't even know where I came from, who I am, or why I'm here." She said, and her brows knitted together.

"That may be so, but we request alliance with you, Okami-san." Butsuma said and Hinata put her hands out to both sides and her ice barrier shattered. "How do you won't violate an agreement?" she asked and Butsuma frowned. "I can assure you we speak nothing of the truth." He said and a wicked smirk crossed her lips. "Even if I am not what you think I am?" she asked and they all furrowed their brows and made an effort to drop into a fighting stance. "Please…I'm not going to fight you all, I know when to give up. I would have given up if it were only Hashirama and he had me trapped somewhere I couldn't escape." She sighed and Hashirama furrowed his brows.

"You're a-" he began but she held up her hand to politely silence him. "I'm nothing important, I'm not an idiot. I will join you, but under one condition." She said and Butsuma nodded. "And what would that be?" he asked and she frowned. "That you don't send Hashirama, Tobirama, Kawarama, or Itama after me if I choose to leave your compound." She said and he frowned. "You wouldn't be meeting with Uchiha would you?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, I have no alliances at the moment, I was free roam shinobi." She said and Butsuma narrowed his eyes. "How old are you, and what clan are you from?" he asked, he was obviously suspicious of her, well what he thought to be him.

"I am eighteen, I am not an Uchiha. I have no clan, their existence was wiped off the face of the earth long ago, so what do they matter now?" she asked and he frowned. "Very well." He said and she followed behind them at a distance, she was not going to get close to them. She followed them to their compound but she was just as weary of them as they were of her. She was shown to her room where she collapsed onto the bed she was given.

She hadn't even been able to dose off when a knock was at her door. She sat up and forced herself to stand, her leg was on fire and she really wanted to sleep. She hobbled over to the door and reached to open it, but before she could even touch the knob of the door, it burst open and someone forced her back onto the bed with a kunai at her throat. "Who are you really?!" they sneered and Hinata opened her eyes to see a beautiful white haired woman over her with a fierce look in her eyes. "Akane…Senju…" Hinata said in disbelief. The woman grit her teeth and dug the blade deeper into her neck. "Why do you wear this mask? Are you hiding something, Okami-san?" she hissed and knocked on the mask with the kunai.

"Yes…" Hinata said and slowly reached up to slide the mask up and to the side. Akane's eyes went wide as Hinata revealed her face to the older woman. "You are…a Kunoichi…A Hyuuga no less." She whispered and swiftly slid Hinata's mask back over her face. "Keep yourself hidden, you took out an entire inn of shinobi, they will kill you if they find out you are a woman." She said and Hinata smiled slightly beneath her mask. "If I am meant to die, I will die in battle fighting for someone whom I care for." Hinata whispered and Akane smiled a feral smile. "That's how we Kunoichi do it, we die for the ones we love." She said and left the room. Hinata sighed in relief, Akane's movements were predatory; she reminded Hinata of the Inuzuka. They were always feral and they walked like Akane.

-:-:-:-

Hinata left the Senju compound after a week of nothing but training with the Senju boys and Butsuma. She strolled through the civilian village and was looking at all the things they had to offer. She could feel their eyes on her, their eyes were filled with hatred and anger. She turned towards a woman and she stumbled away and knocked something over. Hinata strolled silently, the fact they feared her made her wonder if this is what it felt like to be exceptionally powerful…

She frowned beneath the mask as she ruffled her spiky hair; she didn't think she would ever get used to this hairstyle. She strolled past one vendor, stopped then returned to the vendor. They had weapons laid out on the shelf and Hinata leaned in to get a closer look at them. The man attempted to hide them away but a katana touched their neck and they froze. "Madara-san." She greeted and she could feel the smirk cross his lips. "Do not hide the weapons from the shinobi…" he said and the man shakily stepped away from the weapons. Izuna stood on the other side and she could feel his eyes roaming her backside as she looked over the weaponry.

"There is nothing of very good value here, they just look pretty. The weapons are obviously not sturdy or sharp enough to do any true damage." Hinata said and grabbed a kunai and attempted to dig the blade into her arm, but it couldn't even cut the cloth. She held the blade within her palm and crushed it. "Useless weapons that would do nothing in a fight for someone's life, are you trying to get someone killed?" she asked and he shook, he was scared beyond belief.

She turned and walked away from the vendor. She decided to spend the day with Madara, which he happily obliged to. "So…you have an alliance with the Senju?" he asked and she turned to look at him and shrugged. "I could give you information if you wish, although they insist that they must train me ruthlessly." She said and he chuckled. "Hashirama once told me of his father and their absurd training regimens." He chuckled and she smiled at him slightly. He really wasn't that bad of a person…

"Allow us to introduce you to our mother…" Madara said and Izuna tore his eyes from her and he smiled lightly as they strode up to a blue-black haired woman, she wasn't very tall; but she reminded her of a princess. She was dressed in a beautiful red and white kimono with the Uchiha fan on the back. She turned to face them and her smile was absolutely beautiful, it made Hinata jealous. "Lady Aurora, my name is Okami." Hinata said and the woman smiled. "I know who you are, Hinata. Madara and Izuna have told me about you. It is my pleasure to grace your presence. You are very brave to fight as a shinobi." She said and Hinata blushed beneath the mask.

"T-thank you…" she mumbled hesitantly. Aurora's elegant fingers traced over the mask and gently lifted it. "You are very pretty, young Hyuuga…" she whispered and the blush still coated her cheeks. "Thank you again…" she said shyly. "Come by here next week on Tuesday and we can do some shopping together, as women…what do you say?" Aurora asked and Hinata smiled a bit. "I guess that couldn't hurt, but I would have to change before I get here and before I leave." Hinata said and Aurora smiled. "Of course! Okami-san's identity shall not be revealed!" she whispered and Hinata smiled, this woman made her feel right at home, she reminded her of her own mother.

Hinata bowed and slid her mask back into place before bowing politely and vanishing into a swirl of leaves and mist. She appeared back in front of the Senju forest. She could see a lake nearby, the urge to practice her water jutsu was tempting; but she knew this wasn't home; she couldn't just do as she pleased here. She walked silently through the forest as Kawarama and Itama appeared from nowhere and she smiled as they landed by her sides.

"Nii-san says you are pathetic, but we don't think so…we think you are pretty cool!" Itama said and she smiled. "Which one? Mr. grumpy?" she asked and both of the younger males burst out laughing. "Yes, Tobirama doesn't think you are strong enough to be an ally of the Senju, but we have seen you practice with father, you are really impressive Okami-san." They said and she smiled. "Well how about I blow your Nii-san off his high horse with one of my water jutsu." She offered and the two cheered happily.

"And how exactly will you do that, you pathetic little wolf?" he grumbled and she glared at him from beneath the mask. "Exactly as I said I was going to, you ego-statistical-" "Enough!" Butsuma yelled and they turned to him. "Both of you are excellent at your own jutsu, so shut the hell up and deal with it Tobirama, Okami-san is none of your concern. Whether or not he is strong is defiantly none of your concern, I haven't seen someone with such advanced taijutsu skills since the Hyuuga were killed off by my father. It would do you well to show respect to show your superior respect, boy; since your taijutsu lacks significantly." Butsuma said and Hinata frowned, this was not good.

Hashirama followed her and the two younger children back to the compound while Butsuma disciplined his second eldest. Hinata frowned and looked at the ground. "Are you ok Okami-kun?" Itama asked and she turned to look at him. "I got Tobirama-san in trouble…I don't very much care for him…but it isn't right that he should be disciplined for something I started." She said softly and Hashirama frowned. "That's just how father is…he doesn't like to be deceived, disobeyed, or disrespected." Hashirama said and the frown that was etched into his lips made him seem older than he was.

"Forgive me…" Hinata whispered as she looked back to see Tobirama get a fist to the face. "I didn't mean for you to get in trouble." She whispered and her tears splashed the inside of her mask. She really didn't trust the Senju, but she didn't like seeing the abuse either. It was ruthless, even the two youngest would get beaten if they did something wrong. Butsuma was a tyrant in his own family, all he looked forward to was taking out the Uchiha clan…his own family didn't matter to him, and she could see that his sons knew it. Kawarama knew this, and not long after the last beating his father gave him, he was found dead on a battlefield, cloaked in his own blood.

Hinata had cleaned him up the best she could for burial…but…he still looked scared…he still looked proud…he looked like what Butsuma had made him to be…the poor innocent child was only a pawn for Butsuma's sacrificial game…A tool that he sent off to die and he hadn't even once shed a tear. When his sons Hashirama and Itama had cried or debated on whether this was right or wrong, Butsuma beat them again and again until they stopped making noise. When he left, Hinata healed them; she couldn't let them be hurt. Not by that tyrant they called father…his awful reign would end soon enough…or so she hoped…


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata and Aurora had been walking through the civilian village for a few hours now, just looking at things and talking. Aurora was dressed in a black kimono similar to the one she had seen her in last, while Hinata wore a tight white tunic style shirt and tight black pants with gauze going up her ankles to below her knees with her ninja sandals on. Her hair was spiky and layered and kind of reminded her of how Madara's hair looked, while her bands spiked down in multiple directions, while Aurora's waist length hair was pulled into a low ponytail that fell limply down her back, while her bands were cut like Hinata's had been.

Aurora had gone to look at something and said she would be back, so Hinata went to go look at what swords they had to offer. She walked up to a different merchant than she had before because she knew the merchant she had gone to before was still going to sell his cheaply made weapons. She saw a beautiful katana and she ran her fingers over the beautiful design. "What is the blade's name?" she asked and the vendor smiled at her. "Her name is Tsubaki, my lady…but she isn't for sale." He said and she frowned slightly. "I probably couldn't afford it anyways, thank you." She said politely, and that's when she felt the pulse of fear chill her veins.

Her fingers shook, she turned to look for someone, but there was no one there. Her eyes scanned the area, her fear getting the best of her. Her heart raced, she couldn't see any familiar faces…no one she knew… no Senju, no Uchiha…her eyes went wide. No Uchiha?! Where did lady Aurora go?! She looked around but couldn't see the beautiful woman anywhere. Her heart raced quicker as the foreboding feeling gripped her tighter. She went over to where Lady Aurora said she was going to be, but there wasn't anyone there; there wasn't a soul in sight.

A glimmer of silver caught her eyes and she walked over to it. She knelt down to pick up the shining amulet and her eyes went wide once she realized that it was Aurora's hair ornament. She began running through the abandoned part of the village looking for her, she couldn't find her anywhere…she heard male laughter and a woman's sobs. The chill came over her full force and her hands trembled as she rounded the corner and saw Aurora…beaten…abused…raped…

Something in her snapped as the tears fell, this woman had been kinder to her than anyone here had been. She couldn't find the urge to speak, she couldn't find her voice…her glistening eyes met with Aurora's as their blade came down. It felt like everything was moving so slow…the bandit/rapist's blade came down slow, but when it caught Aurora's neck and splattered blood everywhere, it had moved faster than it had clicked in her mind. The blood splashed over Hinata as her eyes moved to focus on the blurry figures that had just murdered the woman she had begun to look up to.

The scream ripped from her throat and the tears fell faster than the men did. Aurora lay gasping for air, her own eyes filled with tears as she watched Hinata kill them without even thinking. Once the men were dead, Hinata fell to her knees by Aurora, her shaky hands trying to heal the wound through her tears, she had talked with this woman over and over again. Ever since she had invited Hinata to come look around here with her a month and a half ago…Hinata had made it a regular thing for them to hang out and just talk. She enjoyed the older woman's company.

Aurora placed a weak hand on Hinata's cheek and Hinata began to sob loudly as the life slipped from her eyes. Her hand slipped from Hinata's cheek, leaving trails of blood as it fell. Hinata didn't care who saw her crying, she was mourning the loss of a wonderful friend. She scooped up the older woman carefully as tears streaked through the blood on her cheeks and she began walking. She had no idea where she was taking the older woman, but she knew it was important; so she just kept going, the older woman's body draped over her back piggyback style.

The tears never stopped falling, not even when Hinata tripped and hit the ground outside of the Uchiha compound, only to gently pull Aurora into her arms and try to carry her bridal style even though the woman was just as big as she was, she wouldn't let her drag the ground. Uchiha surrounded her and their whispers of shock, wonder, and sadness went unnoticed by Hinata, who tried to walk past them into the compound but was stopped by guards, whom of which she barely even noticed.

Hinata hit her knees and pulled Aurora close to her as she sobbed loudly. The last three to arrive and see her were the three who took it the worst. "MOTHER!" Izuna yelled, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't even say anything else due to the tears he was choking on; his eyes were so filled with pain and despair. Tajima was on his knees a few feet away, unshed tears glazing his eyes. Hinata managed to lift her head enough to see Madara who was on his hands and knees, throwing up because he was crying the worst…

"I'm so sorry…I left her alone for…a…a….second…that was all…" Hinata managed to murmur as her eyes dulled and the reality of what had happened hit her…the tears continued to fall…but there was no more feeling in her body…she couldn't even hear Madara yelling his pain anymore. It barely registered to her that she was not only coated in Aurora's blood, but that of the men she had killed as well…the only thing she felt was the freezing silver in her bone white grip.

She didn't even realize she had crawled to Madara until she was hugging him. "G-gomen…"she whispered as the last of her energy left her and she hit the ground, the silver ornament landing right in front of Madara, who grabbed it and held it to his chest as he cried. "I…I…can't stay…I...forgive me…" she said and stood uneasily. "I…I…have to go before….before they find me…me here…"she said and they looked at her.

"I truly…tried to save her…" she said as she stumbled off, but her movements were forced. She managed to make it back to the forest and put her normal attire on, mask and all, but the blood was still there…it wouldn't leave her skin…her eyes were clouded over. She had become unresponsive once Hashirama and Tobirama had found her. Itama had run to them screaming that something was wrong with Okami-kun. When they had found her, she was more of a zombie than an actual zombie. Tobirama frowned and shook his head at her. "Pathetic…he was broken that easily?" he asked and Hashirama glared at his younger brother.

He crouched before her and his fingers slipped under the edge of her mask and just as he had begun to pull, her hand shot up and grabbed his arm tightly. He could see her dead, white eyes through the holes in the mask. "Leave it be." Her voice came out raspy. "Are you alright?" he asked and remained crouched before her. "They…they…raped her…then killed her…she was special to me…" Hinata muttered and Hashirama's eyes softened. "Did you love her?" he asked and her dead eyes met his. "She was like my mother…she cared for me like…like she cared for her sons…" her voice came out broken.

"Who did this? I will handle them…" Hashirama said and she laughed bitterly. "I…I killed them…with my bare hands…they…they fell so fast…" she said and he frowned. He helped her up and his eyes went wide as her mask hit the ground and he released her. She stood uneasily as he stepped away from her. "You're a-" he began and her broken eyes met his. "Woman? Hyuuga? Both?" it came out broken; she was a broken woman who had witnessed a rape and murder. Hashirama couldn't imagine how it must have been for her.

Tobirama caught her as she fell, a slight regret in his eyes as he looked at her. "This is why she was weaker than me…" he said and Hashirama glared at him. "We need to get her to father, he will know what to do." Hashirama said and Hinata whimpered unconsciously. Tobirama frowned, he had been excessively harsh to her when he thought she was a man, but now he understood the mask and why she spoke quietly… women were feeble in his father's eyes, the only one who had proven not to be was his mother, who was just as skilled in tracking as a sensor despite not having sensory abilities.

Hashirama lifted her off the ground; her odd armor felt light to the touch and looked hand made. He carried her to his father and set her on a tatami mat that his father had laid out. "So…Okami-san truly was a Hyuuga…" he looked to Akane who strolled over and crouched beside her. "None of this blood is hers…what happened?" she asked and looked up at her remaining three sons. "She witnessed the rape and murder of someone she cared deeply for, apparently the woman had been like a mother to her…" Hashirama said and the rugged features vanished from his mother's face only to be replaced with a soft sensitive frown that showed his mother's age clearly.

"Poor dear…"she said and Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she sat up. "What did you do, Hinata-chan?" Akane asked and all of the men looked at the matriarch of the Senju in slight surprise. "They…they killed her…right in front of me…she treated me like she treated her own children., and I stood there like an idiot and watched her be killed. I...I…I let them kill her! I had frozen up and I couldn't move anything…she is only dead because of me…" she sobbed shaking her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hinata…some things happen for a reason, as awful as it may be…some people die to make others stronger…Kawarama…my son…he was killed, but you see how the rest of my boys fought to get stronger…He may not physically be here, but he will always be in our hearts. You can't let this keep you down, you will only get stronger because of this…" she said and Hinata's lavender eye met hers. "Me becoming stronger…is not what I am worried about…She had a son…and he is the one I worry will become too strong…" Hinata said and Akane looked at her husband with furrowed brows.

-:-:-:-:-

Days later, Madara was still sitting by his mother's grave he still held her hair ornament close to him as if it were his salvation. He heard footsteps, but they were too light to be from his clan; even so, he didn't turn around. He placed his hand on his mother's grave as the person crouched beside him; he didn't even look at them until fresh tears hit the marbled stone marker. "I'm so sorry…I...i can't express how sorry I am…I know I have no right to ask forgiveness." She sobbed and he looked at her.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, but in her grasp was a bouquet of his mother's favorite red and white roses. She set them on his mother's grave and stood; she was going to leave. "Please…don't go…I…I know this wasn't your fault. Please, stay with me for a while…" he muttered and she barely heard him. She walked back over and sat next to him on the grass and wiped her eyes. He could feel her eyes searching over him and he looked to her. "Thank you…" he said and she leaned towards him, he understood that they had become friends, he also understood that she was under the Senju at the moment; but he didn't care, he knew she wouldn't dare lay a finger on his clan…she cared too much for them.

She linked her arm through his and leaned up against him. "How long have you been out here, Madara?" she asked lightly, he had been out here for a while. He couldn't exactly remember how long, he guessed she could tell because he was really cold. "I'm not sure anymore…they stopped trying to drag me in after they got Izuna in days ago…" he said softly and she frowned. She used her connection to him to attempt to lift him off the ground. He realized what she was trying and stood. She didn't release him once as they made their way back to the Uchiha compound.

His father seemed the tiniest bit surprised when he walked through the door with the tear stained woman attached to him at the hip. Izuna sat in his room refusing to leave. Madara stood on his own as Hinata walked freely through his home. Tajima was curious as to what she were going to do as she strolled softly down the hall to Izuna's room. Hinata saw him lying in the floor, his eyes fogged over and his face expressionless. She crouched by him and shook him softly. His foggy eyes drifted up to her.

"Please…Please don't give up…we…we can have peace. We can make it happen, but you have to take this…and make yourself stronger. I know I am not one to talk, because I am weak…I am useless, and I can't do anything right…but…you and Madara…you can't give up…one day you will be able to walk around without fear of death…but…you have to make it happen." She said tears falling again, her fingers fisting against his floor.

He looked at her and furrowed his brows… "Okami-chan…mother wouldn't want-" he began but she shook her head at him. "Your mother wanted you and your brother to live a life in peace, but she knew you would have to fight for it! She knew it wasn't going to be easy! She…she told me there would be sacrifices…I never expected that she would be one…never! She told me that you two could do it, and I believe her! She said you two would have to take the sacrifices that come, and become stronger to prevent further sacrifice…so please…don't give up." Hinata begged and Izuna stared at the teary eyed woman.

"That…that sounds exactly like mother…" he said and he stood, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "You can be our motivator, you are our friend after all. If we have someone to keep us motivated, someone to keep us alive and determined, we will never fail." He said and offered a hand to her. She shakily took his hand and he helped her stand. "Be our rock, keep us standing." He said and Madara stood in the doorway, a look of agreement on his face. "Even if the Senju have their claws on you, it will only be easier to help us; we have an ally in the enemy's grasp, but they have yet to realize this." Madara said and Hinata nodded.

She understood what this meant, this meant she were a double agent with the means to only truly protect one clan; Uchiha. The Senju were strong and she knew that they wouldn't be taken down so easily, the Uchiha were strong as well, but there was this look of hopelessness that had gripped both brothers; she knew that look would come back if they didn't have someone to stand by them. She knew that if she didn't be their support, they would die…

There was still one thing she didn't understand though; there was this look of pride Madara had given her. It made her heart race; the sheer intensity of his gaze took her breath away. It was then she realized that she had made a mistake, even if it weren't known. She had made a massive mistake by coming here. The look in his eyes made her realize that he depended on her with not only his life, but his brothers and fathers as well. And with that look…she realized she would follow him to the ends of the earth and back just to keep that pride in his eyes, to keep the slight smile on his lips. She realized, that she would quite possibly die for him if the need came to be.

-:-:-:-:-

Hinata swiftly made her way back to the Senju compound; it had been common knowledge within the clan that Butsuma was trying to figure out what to do with her, she was Hyuuga after all and the last one. She knew she couldn't trust him, he held a chakra so menacing it blew Sasuke's out of the water. She skidded to a stop and Hashirama gave her a very light smile, she felt obligated to return the small smile, but didn't do so. She felt as if she were beginning to become too comfortable with them. Tobirama got in her way and he had a determined look in his eyes.

"Spar with me, Hyuuga-san." He said and she frowned but obliged. "Alright…" she said and landed beside the Senju's koi pond. He smirked and flew through water style hand signs. The water dragon flew at her and she flew through the hand signs she had seen Sasuke use before. She had been practicing with the jutsu but it still managed to get her every time she used it, but the effect on the enemy was far greater than the effect it had on her.

"Kirin!" she said and waved her wrist down, the lightning dragon flew through her before it wrapped around the water dragon and electrified it and the water surrounding Tobirama, who had to jump back or get shocked as well. Hinata hit her knees and held her chest in pain. "You would use a jutsu that would hurt you, just to win?" Hashirama asked and Hinata forced herself to stand. "If…If you don't fight with the intent to kill, even in a spar…you take life too easy…and you die faster…" she panted, her right eye was shut in pain as she flew through the exact same hand signs, but this time she had better control of the dragon.

"Very admirable." Butsuma said as the dragon flew through her once more, then it collided with Tobirama's water barrier. "I would say that you are suicidal, but why not? If you could take out a massive amount of enemies with that…but yourself as well I believe you would be doing your side a great honor. Especially if that works against Uchiha." Butsuma said and Hinata hit her knees gasping for air. "It does not work against certain Uchiha…I learned it from an Uchiha years ago." She said and Butsuma's eyes went wide before they narrowed. "So you have ties with Uchiha?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I learned it when I was younger from a wandering Uchiha. I have no ties with the clan as it is now." She said and Butsuma smirked. "Now…don't lie to me…I know you do. Aurora Uchiha, the matriarch of the Uchiha clan was killed by members of my own clan. That was who you were crying about, wasn't it?" he asked and her eyes went wide as he strolled over to her. "Traitors have no place in this clan, nor our world." Butsuma said and wood wrapped around his sons and Hinata screamed out in pain as his foot connected with her side. Tobirama and Hashirama were forced to watch as their father abused the Hyuuga.

Itama stared at the scene with shaking eyes, he had never seen his father be so brutal with anyone, especially not a woman. Roots wrapped around Hinata and she screamed louder as the tightening of the roots didn't stop. "You do realize, little Hyuuga…that you will not leave this compound alive. Traitors never do." He said and circled her, his sons were silent. He looked to them to see they were writhing in pain as well, but they couldn't break the roots because of the chakra sealing tags that were grown into the wood.

Hinata couldn't get away from him she knew that this was going to be the end of her. She dropped her head forward and Butsuma chuckled as he lifted her head by her short spiky bangs. "You even look like that Madara, how sickening." He said and used his other hand to attempt to remove her eye. She screamed and tried to move away from him but he held her tight. She managed to rip her face away from his intrusive fingers and she head-butted him and a root shot up and broke through her bindings. She hit the ground as blood trickled from both of her eyes and her vision blurred. She managed to stand and run before he could get back up. A red haired woman appeared and grabbed her and vanished form the forest with her.

"Are you alright?" She asked and Hinata tried to focus on the red haired woman. "No…I can't see…" she sobbed and the red haired woman quickly got her out of the Senju forest. "I know…where else can you go? She asked and Hinata frowned. "Uchiha…I think." She said and the red head shook her head. "While you are in this state, I don't think you should…Butsuma would only seek you out more." She said and Hinata frowned. "You are Mito…Hashirama's girlfriend…why would you help me?" she asked and Mito frowned. "Because I know how Butsuma is…" she said and Hinata frowned. "And Hashirama knows as well…he told me he felt something was off with his father ever since you returned covered in blood." She said and bandaged Hinata's eyes with the gauze she hated more than anything.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It was about two more months before anyone had heard from her. Mito had treated her as best as she could, but Hinata's sight had begun to fade away because of the veil of time disconnecting the nerves in her eyes. When she returned to the Uchiha, she learned that Butsuma was no longer the head of the Senju, but instead Hashirama was. She also learned that Tajima and Madara had swapped positions as well. Madara, Izuna, and Tajima had welcomed her with somewhat open arms when she returned.

Madara and Izuna had also opted to assist her in training without using her eyes, which helped a lot. She was clumsy and the rest of the Uchiha had begun calling her a failure, a nuisance, a fool for even trying. They didn't accept her one bit, they kept pushing Madara and Izuna to make her leave, but they wouldn't make her go. They wouldn't force her to leave no matter how bad she screwed up…but she figured their kindness wouldn't last much longer if she kept failing like she did…she figured on of these times Madara and Izuna would get sick of her and then they would give her the boot, just like her father kept threatening when she continuously failed. They were going to give up on her too, and she knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata's palm struck upwards on Izuna and he flipped backwards. "Now you're getting it Hinata-chan!" he complimented and she smiled softly. "Thank you Izuna-kun!" she chirped softly and dodged to the left to avoid his foot. She had been training with them to sense chakra down to the smallest amounts, she could now even sense the natural chakra like the chakra that flowed through the trees, much like a sage mode. She sensed his foot coming towards her right side and she jumped and grabbed his leg and propelled herself to the ground a few feet away.

"Izuna, that's enough for the day." Madara's voice rang out and Hinata smiled. "Madara-kun." She greeted and listened as his footsteps neared her. His massive chakra signature was driving her senses mad; she had to attempt to tune it out while she talked to him. She could tell he was close because even from a foot away, she could hear his steady heartbeat. "Do you think you could patrol with us?" he asked and she frowned, she bit her lip and turned her face up to face him, although she couldn't see him; she figured the polite thing to do was look his way. "What are you kidding Madara?!" one man yelled and she faced the ground as she heard him turn away from her to face the man.

"You can't be serious! We told you she needs to go! She is only going to hinder us! Do you not realize This?" the man snapped and Hinata fiddled with her fingers as she felt tears drip from her nonexistent eyes. She found it a sick reminder that she could still cry without even being able to see what she was crying for. "You are the fool, Hiseki! You dare come forth to complain? To me? The clan leader…or has your simplistic mind forgotten who I am?" Madara asked and Hinata continued to set her empty gaze upon the ground, where no one could see she was actually crying.

"You are going to risk your life to let some…some blind whore fight with you?! What if she kills one of us by accident!?" Hiseki snapped and she heard Madara's footsteps leave her side. She faced the ground, but her senses honed in on his massive chakra signature. He made his way over to the man, Hiseki, and she heard an awful sound. she covered her ears to keep from having to hear the disgusting choking sound. Her face scrunched up as more tears fell.

'Did he kill him?' was all she could think about. Her hands couldn't drown out the disgusting noise, but she heard it fading away ever so slowly. She had tuned everything out, their chakra, their fighting, everything, but that awful sound wouldn't leave her alone. Her tears wouldn't stop falling and she jumped when someone was carefully wiping them away. Warm hands carefully wiped away all of the offending tears that refused to stop flowing. Reality soon came back with a ruffle of her spiky hair.

She could feel his chakra, it spiked as if he felt guilty for upsetting her and she calmed down a bit. "I-is he-" she began and he sighed and shook his head, but realizing that once again, she couldn't see it, he frowned. "No, he isn't dead, I put him in a genjutsu. That's all, I promise." He said and she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "A-alright…" she said softly and he frowned and held his hand out to her. She could tell that he had moved, but she couldn't tell what it was that had moved. She knew he was going to get tired of having to help her with everything all the time.

She jolted in surprise when his hands found their way to hers and gently made her grasp his hand. He chuckled and she blushed. So that's what he had done. "Come on, Hinata. Father wants us to eat before we all go on patrol tonight." Madara said and she nodded. "Alright, Madara-kun." She said and she felt his chakra ripple when she called him that. His chakra always did that odd ripple when she called him that, she guessed it bothered him…Izuna's chakra jolts when she calls him 'Izuna-kun' so she figured he must like she calls him that… , or it could be he just gets some sick joy out of it…the little pervert…

She gripped his hand tightly and reached her other hand up to lay it on his arm to help herself guide the pebbled path better. Without sight, everything was different the pebbles beneath her feet felt surreal and oddly shaped. The grass that she felt beneath her bare feet when she strolled through the garden was soft and dewy against her bare toes. She could feel more now, and actually FEEL. She felt everything, heard everything, all whilst she saw nothing.

She felt him turn towards her, and she knew he was probably watching her to see if she stumbled or something of the sort. Those two were always watching, waiting for her to show a sign of weakness and defeat in her blindness. She never showed any, not while they were watching. She felt her toes brush over the doorway and she smelled the food before they had even reached the second door at the very end of the expansive and long hallway. He gently pushed her towards the door and the smell of food washed over her.

She sat at the end of the table beside Madara, who sat on the side, but also by Tajima who sat at the very end. Izuna always sat across from her, she could feel his chakra as he sat down. Hinata tried not to turn to look at the place at the end of the table across from Tajima. The empty seat had been set as well, her favorite plate and glass sat neatly at the end, representing the gone; but never forgotten Uchiha matriarch, Aurora. Hinata knew that her things were still there because…she had seen them there when she hadn't been blind. She knew the only reason those elegant dishes would be moved was to clean them and keep them from getting dirty. She could also tell that the hair ornament that Aurora had worn was still there, but it had taken her a while to be able to sense the subtle chakra that resided within.

Madara sighed and nudged her with his foot, she could tell that Tajima was watching her; she just couldn't bring forth the courage to face them man. "Hinata, we would like to see how your training has been going…so…we ask you to join us in patrol tonight." Tajima said and Hinata blinked, she expected him to scold her for digging up painful feelings but he didn't. She nodded hesitantly. She could hear the smirk that crossed his lips. "Good, thank you." He said and she reached to feel for the chopsticks and Madara stopped her roaming hand and placed the utensils in her grasp with a small chuckle.

She heard Tajima and Izuna chuckle as well and she felt the heat flood to her face, she was probably redder than a tomato, but she couldn't see it either way. "Don't be a klutz, Hinata-chan. Allow us to help you to an extent. We aren't going to spoil you, but we can help." Izuna said and she could feel her face heat up a bit more, but all the same her lips twitched up into a small smile. "Thank you." She said and she could hear the ruffling of fabric from the end of the table, she assumed that Tajima had finished eating judging by the face it was him who had stood.

"Alright, since everyone is now finished, Madara would you please assist in getting Hinata ready?" Tajima asked and Madara stood from his place beside her. "Lucky." Izuna grumbled and Hinata frowned in his direction with a blush on her cheeks. "P-pervert." She stammered as she stood and spun on her heel to keep from having to face him. He just laughed from behind her. Madara placed his hand in the crook of her elbow and helped her out of the room. "Please…don't mind him." Madara sighed. Hinata smiled.

She figured Madara would figure she was used to it by now and stop commenting about it; but he always had to tell her to ignore him in some form or fashion. Now Hinata wasn't completely useless when it came to getting herself ready, she could manage the chest bindings and her undergarments and things of the sort, so she was good there. The things that got her were the ones that had clasps and ties. When they reached her room he closed the door behind them. He went over to her closet and sifted through to get her armor and her patrol gear.

He turned around to see her fumbling with the knot behind her back. He walked over and his arms went under hers to take the knot from her grasp and he untied it swiftly. He pulled back the slightest bit and she was facing him, he knew she couldn't see him; but the power of her sightless gaze was still there. "I miss being able to see…" she whispered. He raised a brow as her delicate hands reached up towards him. "What do you miss seeing the most?" he asked and she was silent as her fingers traced over the edges of his ears to fall and follow along his jaw line. Her thumbs drifted up and over his solely masculine cheek bones and then her fingers traced his brow and his eyes closed to allow her the blind curiosity she sought.

"I miss…everything...almost everything about the world…I miss being able to see it all." She whispered and her fingers traced over his lips and she could feel the smirk that formed on them. She had felt his hands move to the hem of her training shirt and her brow furrowed as he yanked up and the shirt flew to some random corner in the room. Hinata blushed a dark red and covered her chest with a squeal. "M-Madara!" she squealed and he chuckled. Hinata snatched the shirt he had touched to her fingertips and swiftly pulled it over her head and smacked his hands away when he tried to help her tie the knot in the back. "Would you like me to help with the pants too? I could assist in removing them, I can't promise they will go back on though." He said in a voice so serious that it made her head jerk towards him.

She couldn't even stammer out the word pervert, no matter how hard she tried. She could hear him chuckle and if she could see in the mirror, she could imagine herself looking like a train shooting steam everywhere. She shook her head rapidly and she heard her bed creak as he sat upon it. "Alright…your loss then." He sighed, he still sounded so serious! 'what the hell!?' she thought and blushed darker. The thick cloth of her pants brushed against her hand and she blinked. The fabric brushed her hand again and she smiled softly as she took them. He was adamant about helping her…it reminds her of when she had overexerted her eyes and had lost her sight. Neji had tried to be sneaky about it, but she knew it was him who had been following her around and helping her.

She couldn't find anything without them…Madara and Neji…they may not seem like they care but they would help her even if she tried to be independent. She attempted to pull her pants up her leg but she tripped and began falling. She expected to hit the floor but warm hands steadied her and helped her stand back up. "T-thank you…" she said, embarrassed. He chuckled and allowed her to finish changing. He had gone to sit back down and once she was finished she heard the creak of her mattress as he stood back up.

She felt the chill of her armor being placed against her torso and she reached up to hold it there as Madara clasped the metal clasps behind her shoulder blades and then the clasps attaching her chest armor to the armor on her hips. He placed a kunai pouch in her grasp and she secured it to her thigh without his help. "Now, we could quite possibly work on helping you get used to your armor as well." He said and she nodded silently. She wasn't sure how well that was going to go about since she could hardly clasp it when she wasn't wearing it.

She heard him sigh and then she felt him run his fingers through her hair. He grabbed the brush on the counter by her bed and began working on putting her hair in a ponytail. Her hair now reached her lower back and got in the way at times, but…she refused to cut it. He was gently working towards tying her hair in a ponytail and she smiled. "Why don't you put your hair in a low ponytail or something of the sort?" she asked quietly and he was silently as he tied her hair up in a sturdy top knot. She heard him ruffle his own hair with a sigh and she resisted the giggle that threatened to escape.

"Izuna does it, so I was wondering why you didn't. I t-thought maybe there was a specific reason or something." She said softly and he snorted. "Its girly. I have seen grown men put their hair in a ponytail and it…it just… kills the masculinity of a man. Izuna is a different story…mother's boy." Madara said simply and Hinata giggled. "So it was a masculinity thing." She giggled and he chuckled. "I'm sorry I don't meet your feminist type needs." He snorted and walked towards her. She furrowed her brow as his chakra rippled as he walked towards her.

She felt his cold hands land on her hips, the contact brought goose bumps to her now exposed skin. He chuckled and leaned closer to her. Her breath hitched and her heart was beating faster than a race horse could run. She could feel his warm breath on his neck and she shivered involuntarily. She felt herself getting dizzy and he chuckled as he felt her shiver. "You're so easy to tease…" he muttered as he leaned closer to her. She could now feel his breath on her lips, and the urge to close the gap became overwhelming. She felt him lean forward and she could tell they were so close, but then he turned and strolled out of her room with a laugh. "Come on Hinata-CHAN wouldn't want to keep father waiting any longer." He said and she tried to control her blush but failed as she ran after him.

His footsteps altered and she pouted as he chuckled. "Maybe, if you would allow…we could finish that later." He chuckled and she focused her embarrassed glare anywhere but his chakra. "N-no!" she huffed and he chuckled. "Aww, but you seemed so into it." he snorted and she blushed darker. "You're mean…" she huffed and he rolled his eyes, despite her not being able to see it. "I promise I won't be so mean." He snorted and she huffed again and ran out of the front door then spun on her heel and kicked the ground.

Madara couldn't even dodge the rock that smacked him in the forehead. He blinked and grinned as he wiped the small trickle of blood from his forehead. "Damn…that was almost an impossible hit for me…but she nailed it blindly." Izuna's voice rang out and Tajima chuckled. "I told you she was special." Tajima chuckled and Hinata made her way to them. "So, would you like someone else to help you get ready from now on?" Tajima asked with a smirk and Hinata huffed. "Don't let him lie to you." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "He is just an older version of Izuna." She whined and Tajima burst out laughing. "You though he was different?! Well… so did I until I realized I was seeing a miniature copy of Madara running around when we had Izuna. Madara is just a closet pervert." Tajima chuckled and waved a hand in front of his face. "there is hardly a difference between them." He chuckled as he turned to face the gates of their home.

"Well, time to get serious. Hinata, you and Izuna try not to kill each other. Madara, you're with me, alright?" he asked and Madara nodded. "Alright, let's go." He said and they vanished from sight. Izuna had hardly noticed that Hinata had done the same before he ran to catch up to her. He heard her even footsteps and he smirked. "You are using that sage mode thing…why don't you tell Madara you can use it?" he asked and she slowed her pace. "I don't know what he would say…or think…" she said softly and Izuna shrugged.

"I doubt he would care…" Izuna said and she looked at him with her empty sockets, nothing but darkness resided there so she had a habit of keeping her eyes closed. The black markings that crossed over her face in an 'X' and curved up to form a circle over her brow confused him, he didn't understand the concept of the jutsu, but apparently she could see the chakra within all living things and could heal herself now. It was something Hashirama had taught her in secret while she had lived with them.

"I feel a bit bad for taking this jutsu…I didn't trust them, but despite knowing that I didn't trust him…he still taught me this jutsu." She said and he rolled his eyes. "Well maybe the Senju thought you were special too." He scoffed and she watched him jump in front of her. She furrowed her brow as she saw chakra spike ahead. "Izuna, four shinobi ahead. They have moderate chakra signatures, but…there is a fifth. Be wary of him." She said and Izuna scoffed. "over protective as usual." He chuckled and dropped from the trees to take on the men that invaded the Uchiha domain.

He took the moderately skilled shinobi out quickly and she watched as the fifth strolled leisurely forwards. "Izuna Uchiha." The man greeted bitterly. "Tobirama Senju." Izuna greeted and the two circled each other like predator and prey. Hinata dropped down and made her way to the two men. The marks receded from her face and she hit the ground behind Izuna. Tobirama's head jerked up to see Hinata standing there. "Hinata…" he said softly and she furrowed her brow, she had never heard him speak so softly towards her.

"Leave T-Tobirama." She stammered and he grit his teeth. "Why should I leave!? Hashirama has been looking everywhere for you and you betray him like this?!" he snapped and Hinata's head jerked up at him and tears fell from her empty eyes. "Your father tried to kill me! He tried to steal my eyes! You Senju betrayed me!" she sobbed and Tobirama attempted to push Izuna out of the way to get to her but Izuna head-butted him and that set the whole thing off. She could hear their fists colliding with each other. It was awful…then she heard him unsheathe a blade. Tobirama rushed at Izuna, his blade held high.

She heard the awful swish of the blade cutting through skin and she sensed that no one was on the ground, but they were now in a battle of wills. The blade was cutting deeply between Izuna's pointer and middle fingers. He let out an enraged yell when he grabbed the blade with his other hand and threw Tobirama's blade away from him. She saw Izuna shoot forwards and she could tell that this match went to Izuna because Tobirama yelled out in pain as Izuna's fist collided with Tobirama's stomach. Tobirama was on one knee on the ground as he reached for his blade and he sheathed it as Izuna turned around to face her.

Hinata felt Tobirama's chakra spike and he rushed forwards as Izuna began to turn back around. He was grabbed by someone behind him and he stopped mid run. "It's time to go…now Tobirama." Hashirama's voice echoed out and Izuna let the fear seep into his bones after the two had vanished. Hinata made her way over to him and she patted him on the cheeks to knock him out of his shocked stupor. "Izuna-kun…" she called out to him as she patted his cheeks a little rougher.

"I could…I could have died…" he said and she frowned as she shook his shoulder lightly. "But you didn't Izuna-kun…you have to be careful, alright?" she asked and he nodded. She sighed in relief and he hugged her tightly, surprising her. "I think I need to listen to you more…" he said softly as he buried his face in her shoulder. She hesitantly hugged him back and nodded. "I think that would help sometimes, Izuna-kun." She whispered and he released her from his embrace.

She turned on her heel and grabbed Izuna by his coat. "Come on, Izuna…I think they should be ready to regroup now." She said and he blinked and nodded. "Yeah, alright." He said and she heard him scratch his neck in embarrassment. "Izuna-kun…I could teach you this jutsu if you would like for me to." She said softly and he made a face but she couldn't see it. "I don't need a jutsu created by them. I will be fine with you, dad, and Madara fighting with me." he said and he saw a glimpse of a smile cross her lips. "You really think I'm an asset?" she asked and he stared at her. "Yeah. I really do." He said and she beamed in his direction. "Thank you, Izuna-kun." She said and he chuckled.

"Even if you can't do as much as you used to, you can still help out like any sensor can. There is also the fact that you can fight even though blind! That's better than any ol' sensor the Senju could spawn up." He chuckled and she laughed lightly. She felt Madara and Tajima's chakra rushing their way. She stopped and Izuna did as well. "Madara." Izuna greeted as his brother landed before them. Madara took in Izuna's state with a frown. "You have a bit of trouble?" his father asked and Izuna shrugged dismissively.

"He fought Tobirama, and that was the only trouble we had…" Hinata said softly and Madara nodded. "we will tend to our wounds when we return to the compound." Tajima said and everyone in the group nodded. "Who did you fight, Madara?" Izuna asked taking in Madara's beat up state. "Hashirama Senju." Was all he said as they made their way back to the compound. Once there, Hinata set to work treating their wounds and healing the larger ones. Once she had finished healing all of their larger wounds, she healed the smaller ones.

"Thank you, Hinata." Madara said and she smiled and nodded at him. "You're wel-" she began but his arms wrapped around her and she returned the embrace. "You are always helping someone selflessly and no one ever thanks you for doing so. We don't have a medic and the only person close enough to be a medic is you and yet the rest of the clan treats you so badly." He said and she smiled. "Trust me…the things they say hurt, but I have never found a word that could hurt more than a friend leaving you because of untreated wounds." She said and he nodded.

"As Madara said, thank you. We are grateful that despite how ignorant and annoying we can be, you still help us." Tajima said and Hinata nodded politely. "It is no problem, I swear…you…you all are my family and I couldn't live without any of you." She said and the three Uchiha males nodded to her. And as they walked by her, they each ruffled her hair affectionately. She blushed lightly as Madara's lips pressed themselves against her forehead. "Good night, Hinata-chan."


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata felt around for her kunai pouch, she was getting significantly better at tying and clasping things as of late. She fumbled with the knot, tying it securely on her thigh. She was going somewhere today and she was not going to inform Madara of her departure or more so… where she was headed. This was her secret and hers alone, she didn't think she should concern the brothers of this little adventure. She reached down and secured the straps of her shoes tightly. She slid open her bedroom door and stepped out, not quite expecting Madara to be standing right there.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice was slightly humored and she blushed ever so slightly. "Um… yes actually. I was going to go and recover a few things and get some new things." She said with a smile and he made a noise confirming he had heard. "Would you like some company or do you think you would be alright by yourself?" he asked and she could hear the sincerity in his tone. "I think I should be alright this time, thank you though, Madara-kun." Hinata said with a bright smile. She could feel the worry roll off of him in waves.

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I won't be gone too long maybe an hour or two." She said and smiled softly at him hearing the concern in his voice. He released a sigh, knowing there was no way he was going to get her to change her mind about this. He patted her on the head softly, much to her surprise. "Alright then…" he said and his hand ruffled her short choppy locks on the top of her head the slightest bit, only for his calloused hand to fall and gently cup her cheek. The rough pads of his fingers made her heart clench in regret as they brushed over her cheek.

"Be safe, alright?" he asked and she nodded softly, her features softening slightly. "I will I promise." She said and took his hand into her own. She squeezed his hand tightly once and slowly released it as she walked past him. "I'll keep an eye out for your return he said and she smiled softly. "I'll hurry back, so you won't have to worry for long." She said and she could tell that a slow smile had pulled over his once worried lips just because of the fact his chakra signature had lightened ever so slightly once more.

she smiled slightly to herself, despite the deep sadness she still held. She didn't want to be so secretive with them, but she knew that if they knew exactly where she was going there would be issues. She still couldn't calm her racing heart from the close call with Izuna's life a full month ago. She was so worried and panic stricken that it would happen again… she couldn't bear it if it did, so she was going to go speak with the brothers, and then she had another destination.

She opened the gates to the compound and her chakra pulsed sending out a wave of chakra that would bounce back off of anything up to ten feet in front of her to let her know there was something there, similar to how bats use echo location at night, she could maneuver around in that manner safely. She felt Izuna's and Tajima's chakra off in the training field where they were doing their daily regimen. A small smile crossed her lips as she sped off through the surrounding forest. At this moment, she knew they were safe… and that was all that mattered.

:-:-:-:

Madara didn't want to release his grasp on her smaller, softer, more delicate hand. He didn't want to let the small framed woman go outside the walls of the compound, just because he couldn't afford to lose her as well. He hadn't told her of what was happening because he didn't want her to panic… a sigh escaped his lips as her soft fingers left his grasp. His chest clenched and he felt as if he should warn her of the danger outside the walls, but he knew deep down she knew. He also knew that if he tried to keep her within the walls of the compound she would grow to believe he thought she wasn't strong enough.

Ever since she had lost her sight, Madara watched her… watched how she reacted to things differently than she normally would have. He saw the pain and worry every time she almost screwed something up. He felt her chakra feeling his trying to see if he were disappointed with her for her mistakes or not. He knew she strived to be the best she could be, but it was not for herself… she strove to prove herself to him, his father, and Izuna. He wished she would just believe in herself. Then again he knew that she had most likely always strove to be the best she could be for all those around her and never for herself.

"Be safe…" he said and that smile crossed her lips and he couldn't help but feel she would be just fine. A slow smile crossed his lips and he felt her aura brushing over his, causing her smile to brighten, even if only slightly. He sighed as he watched her leave in such a hurry it disturbed him. He supposed he should have warned her of the Senju ambushes happening as of late, but he supposed she could handle herself at the moment. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to head outside where his father and brother were supposed to be training, but instead saw his father watching him with knowing eyes. "So…" his father began, but Madara sighed. "I thought you were training with Izuna." Madara said and his father nodded.

"I am. This me is just a clone. You should have noticed fairly easily… but something else has distracted your mind…" Tajima said and a small flicker in his eyes said that Tajima wasn't done talking yet. "What exactly do you want to know?" Madara asked his father and Tajima's lip twitched the slightest bit. "When did this happen?" Tajima asked and Madara furrowed his brows at his father, trying to figure out exactly what his father was trying to learn from him. "When did what happen?" Madara asked and Tajima's eyes held a shine to them that Madara couldn't quite figure out.

"When exactly did you become so soft out of sight…" his father asked, but opened his mouth to speak once more so Madara stayed silent. "A better question would be… when exactly did you realize that you loved her?" Tajima stated and Madara's eyes widened. "I don't." Madara said and Tajima frowned slightly. "I'm going to call bull shit on that, just because we both know you're trying to deny it." Tajima said with a frown, but that indescribable light in his eyes hadn't vanished yet. Madara knew he knew.

A sigh escaped his lips and he would have preferred not to have had to explain it to his father… but this was inevitable either way. "I couldn't figure out what it was at first… I had felt a pull to her since I had seen her that day in the inn. I was actually just looking for trouble that day Izuna and I had found her. Once I got to know her, I thought it was that I really respected her. For the longest time I couldn't figure it out…" Madara said slowly, testing how the explanation felt as it left him. "I realized that it was something more than respect when I had seen her that day… she refused to leave me by mother's grave alone, she mourned with me. begged me to go inside… she shared my pain." Madara said and looked over at his father.

"I realized I loved her when… when she came to us… blind. I felt as if I had to protect her, keep her with a smile on her face, despite everything she had gone through. I just want to protect her, from this clan, from the Senju… from anyone who wish her harm… I can't afford to lose her. She is as much a part of me as you and Izuna. I can't lose any of you…" he said and Tajima smiled lightly. "That is how I felt for your mother…" Tajima said and Madara realized exactly what the light in his father's eye was, it was pride. Pride in him for finding someone he could feel this way for, pride that his eldest son would not have to live his life alone.

"Father…" Madara began but his father spoke before he could finish. "I believe the worst pain in the world is out living your own children. Parents are supposed to die before their children, so a parent having to watch their child die right in front of them, is the greatest pain there is. Aurora will no longer have to suffer from this pain, but now her soul can rest in peace. Her eldest will not live out his days alone." Tajima said and Madara could see the tears threatening to spill over. Tajima Uchiha was not a man to cry, but when it came to his wife, he would flood a river with his tears, just for her.

"I just want you to know…" Tajima began and Madara's eyes locked onto his father. "I believe in you, the both of you. Both of my sons are the epitome of strength and I could die a proud father. I just want you to know this." Tajima said and Madara grit his teeth. "Please… please stop…" he begged. Tajima smiled slightly. "I don't mean to cause you pain… but I'm getting to be an old man… I can't keep going on like this." Tajima said and Madara clenched his fists. "Father… please stop… I don't want to hear this!" Madara snapped and Tajima chuckled, but shook his head slightly. "I didn't want to hear it either, but I had to listen to it from my father as well. But… for now I will stop. I'm proud of you Madara. Treat her well." Tajima said before his clone poofed away into nothingness.

Madara clenched his fists even tighter and made his way back to his bedroom, which was down the hall from Hinata's he sat on his futon and rested his elbows on his knees, his head resting in his hands, trying to will away the headache and the pain seeping into his mind from what his father wanted him to hear.

:-:-:-:

Hinata found herself in the Senju forest, in the secret spot that Hashirama had shown her while training with her. There was a small lake with a tiny island in the center of it. she walked across the water and slowly sat atop the tiny island. Her fingers dipped into the surface of the water, the fish beneath the surface nibbling at her fingers ever so slightly. She deeply wished she could see what color they were and what type of fish they were, but she tried not to get too hopeful because she knew that she would never see again.

Two sets of footsteps caught her attention and she brushed her chakra over them, testing to see who they were. "You came…" she said softly and she heard the shuffle of fabric, so she supposed they nodded. "I cannot see you know…" she said softly and they moved again, this time it sounded like they were sitting down across the water from her on the edge of the bank. "Yes… forgive me I seem to have forgotten…" Hashirama's voice drifted to her from across the water.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault either way… I honestly don't blame you. I blame your father." Hinata said, but her voice was different. Her voice was angered, appalled even. "Hinata?" Hashirama called out to her, sensing the change in the normally kind young woman. "I don't need your explanations… from either of you. I don't even need an explanation from Madara as to why he thinks he has to hide this from me. I know what you Senju have been doing. I know why the compound is in a state of unrest." She said in an accusing tone.

"I know why the Uchiha around me reek of blood all the time… and not Senju blood either… Uchiha blood. I know of what Butsuma has been doing. I understand that he thinks he can win like this… but he is wrong." She said and the brother's chakra seemed sullen. "I don't need your fake pity. Your father takes out anyone in his way just to attempt to get to Izuna and Madara. The rest of the clan are just unnecessary casualties… he's only after me and the brothers." She said and they continued to stay silent.

"They are my family… blood or no blood, they are my family… and all you do… is kill them. Whether they hate me, or care for me as Madara, Tajima, and Izuna do… you kill them. No mercy. No remorse." She said and she could feel the tears begin to streak over her cheeks. "Hinata… we have no choice…" Tobirama said and the water beneath her fingers stilled, yet the wind rushing through the trees resembled that of a storm coming in. "You have no choice? No choice but to kill those I call family?" she asked, her voice devoid of any emotion what so ever. "Yes, we have no choice it is either we kill them or end up taking a beating ourselves and most likely ending up dead." They said and the wind slowed to a halt.

"No choice… none? Fine… that is just fine… I guess there are always two sides of the coin, then. I guess I will have no choice either…" she said, her voice saddened greatly. "I'm going home. Do not follow me, or tell your father of this meeting." She said and stood. She made her way across the water and right past the two Senju brothers. Her heart ached, she didn't want to have to fight in this war of clans. She knew that if she didn't, she was going to lose those she was trying to protect.

"Hinata wait…" Hashirama called but she continued to walk. "The time for me to wait is over. I'm not going to stand by and watch you hurt Madara, Izuna, or Tajima…" she said and continued walking. She ignored their pleas, but noticed that they did not follow her either. She sighed and her mind drifted off. She'd been here for months it seemed, and yet she rarely thought of home. She thought that she would miss her time by now… but being with the Uchiha dulled that ache. The only thing she was focused on now was keeping the ones she now held dear safe, at whatever cost. She was not going to lose them.

She took a deep breath and continued on her way to the other destination, a secluded place on what used to be Uzumaki grounds, but they relinquished their hold on it to the Senju so they would spare the few Uzumaki that still thrived. There were supposedly only thirty four Uzumaki left because of the jutsu thieves that had made their way through the area. Hinata sighed and continued on her way. She didn't care if the Senju found her in this sacred place or not, they couldn't hurt her as long as she was there because of the sacred waterfall's abilities.

Hinata felt the pure aura emanating from the waterfall and her smile broke free. "Katsuyu falls…" she whispered and walked beneath the water, relishing the feeling of warmth and adoration the water gave her. 'Hinata… welcome back…' a familiar soft spoken slug greeted. "Katsuyu-sama." She greeted and as the water finished soaking her being, it went cold. She furrowed her brows and stepped out of the usually warm water. "What is going on lady katsuyu?" she asked and the slug was still silent.

'The future looks bleak… especially for you. It looks dark for you.' The slug said softly and Hinata frowned. "I promise, I will go the right way; even if it looks dark now, I will choose the right path." Hinata said and Katsuyu made a noise of understanding. 'I would hope so. It wouldn't be wise to go the wrong way…' katsuyu said and Hinata nodded. Deep down Hinata began to worry, katsuyu had no real grasp of time, as time had no real effect on her. Katsuyu falls was a place that was a break in the space time vortex. If two people from different times walked through the falls at the exact same time, both people could speak and interact, but if one person tried to leave with the other they would still be sent back to their own times.

The Katsuyu falls were a rare paradox of time that never really formed. Half the time Hinata was tempted to stay within the falls and see who all knew of it's location, but she never had time for it either way. "How are things at home lady Katsuyu?" Hinata asked and the slug circled her feet. 'War is happening. No one really noticed your disappearance either. Sadly enough. You've been gone for a week in Tsunade's time, but nearly five months here. Were you that insignificant?" one slug said and Hinata's heart clenched in pain.

"But of course… no one ever noticed before… why should they now?" she said and turned on her heel and walked out from the falls. She was not going to be the insignificant one any longer. She may not be able to see any longer, but she was tired, so very tired; of being the one protected. Her pulse of chakra echoed around her as she shook the remainder of the slug infested water off of her, she had been so faithful to the slugs and yet one of them had actually had the audacity to call her insignificant. Her heart clenched.

Normally she would break out into tears and cry her pain away, but she couldn't cry over this and she didn't even understand why… it just… didn't affect her like it used to she guessed. She had spent so long trying to prove to everyone she was strong, that she was able to do what they kept telling her she couldn't… but it seemed deep down she had either proved it to someone and she knew it, or she just quite possibly didn't care anymore, but she didn't really want to believe that just yet.

She made her way back towards the Uchiha forest, but at her own pace. She wasn't going to rush back home just yet, even if Madara was worried sick about her. As mean as it sounded she needed her personal time to think everything over. She approached a familiar stream that cut the two warring states in half, this is where Madara had met Hashirama. Not too far from where she was standing, she knew stood what would one day become the Hokage great stone faces. A slow smile crossed her face. This would one day be home to her…

She crouched down and grasped a stone, her fingers brushing over the surface to determine the smoothness and shape of the stone. She dropped said stone and felt around for another, less angular and more circular stone. Her fingers brushed over a seemingly perfect stone and a smile crossed her lips. She stood back up and immediately a chill rolled down her spine. She spun on her heel and furrowed her brows as her chakra rolled off of her wave after wave, attempting to find the source of her unease.

"Forgive me… I didn't mean to startle you." Tajima's voice rang out and he dropped down on his side of the river, which she made her way over to not long after. "Tajima-sama… sorry I got so riled up…" she said with a small smile. "Oh it's not you dear, it was me." he said and she smiled softly. "I actually came out here because I wanted to talk to you about something…" he said and she sat by the bank of the river. Tajima followed suit, but took off his shoes and placed them in the chilly fall water. "Is it personal?" she asked and he made a movement to nod then cleared his throat, as if remembering her lack of sight. "Yes, very much. Please forgive me, I seem to continue to forget you lack of sight… it is easy to forget when you move around the house like nothing is wrong you see…" he explained and she laughed lightly.

"I don't doubt it. Madara never forgets though… he's always looking after me." she said and a smile tugged at her lips. "Of course. He cares deeply for you, if you haven't noticed." Tajima chuckled and Hinata felt a slight heat rise to her cheeks. "You don't mean that…" she said slightly accusing. "Oh, but I do. He worries for you, my dear… he doesn't know what he would do if he were to lose you." Tajima said and Hinata wanted to believe him so badly… she wanted to believe that Madara could possibly care for her in such a way, but she wasn't going to get her hopes up just yet.

"I know… I worry him too much…" she sighed and fiddled with the pebbles surrounding her. "You should go to him now you know… he seems distressed. I worry for both of my sons, and you as well; just so you know. Which means if one of you are upset, I'm upset as well. He's in his room. He claims he's trying to be alone to think but he's going to worry himself into Gray hair over you…" Tajima chuckled and Hinata blushed lightly. "Alright… I will." She said and he nodded, his lips tugging up in a small smile. "Do you care for him?" Tajima asked and Hinata turned to face him.

"I… I care deeply for all of you. I would do whatever it takes to keep you all Happy and safe, even if it mean the death of me, I refuse to let you hurt…" she said in such a determined voice it almost caught Tajima off guard. "You love him then? You see us as family?" he asked and she nodded. "I love you all dearly… I can't live without you. You believe in me, so much more than my own family ever did. You think I'm some great warrior… you trust me with your lives… so I trust you with mine. I don't ever want anything to happen to any of you…" she said and Tajima reached over and ruffled her hair. "Ever since you came into my home, I've thought of you as my daughter, and you have never ceased to amaze me." he said and hugged her gently, tucking the side of her head under his chin with one arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Her shoulders began to shake and he knew the tears were coming. She fisted her hands into her lap and leaned forwards some to attempt to stifle her sobs. He rubbed her back with a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He said and she nodded through her tears. "Now, lets get your tears all dried up because if Madara sees that you've been crying he's going to yell at me for making you cry, alright dear?" he asked and she nodded once more, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves. "Thank you, outo-san…" she said and he blinked but smiled at her. "You're very welcome, Hinata…" he said and ruffled her hair.

From her reaction to that statement alone, he could tell that she must not have had a good relationship with her real father, so he was going to do the best he could to make sure he was the best he could be. "How about we get you to Madara before he wears a grey patch in his head." Tajima chuckled and Hinata giggled lightly. "Yeah, that sounds good to me." she said as he helped her stand. "Let's hurry home." She whispered and he nodded at her, then cleared his throat once more and muttered an agreement in his embarrassment of having yet again forgetting she couldn't see his nod.

:-:-:-:-:

Madara was still sitting in his place on his bed, his head still propped up like it was about an hour ago. He was beginning to worry and his father knew it. He supposed he gave off some odd aura or something because his father kept coming in to check on him on and off without saying a word. He sighed and laid back on his futon one knee propped up and one arm slung over his eyes. He supposed he looked like Izuna in that moment when Izuna was told to wake up but really didn't want to.

Before he had even realized it the headache pulsing at his temple had begun to fade in and out, which meant he was drifting in and out of consciousness. He decided to let sleep consume him, even if only for a little while. He had just begun to drift off into a heavier sleep when his door slid open softly. He supposed it was his father once more, but the creak of his futon and the new weight on his bed said otherwise. He continued to pretend to be asleep, because no one was dumb enough to attempt to kill him in his sleep.

Once the movement had stopped, he felt the urge to crack an eye open and see who had hidden their chakra just so they could curl up next to him, but soft exploring fingers reached up and pushed his arm from over his eyes and brushed the hair from his face. He knew then exactly who it was and he continued to allow her run her fingers through his hair. Once she seemed settled with how much she had run her finger through his hair she edged closer and curled up right in his side.

She nuzzled her head in to his chest slightly and she whispered something to him, as if she knew he could hear her. "I will protect you with my life." She'd whispered to him and a small smile crossed his lips as he rolled towards her and to her surprise, ran his fingers over her cheek and brushed her hair away from her closed eyes. "And I will protect you with mine as well." He said and a small smile crossed her lips as she snuggled in closer to him.

"Tajima-sama told me he thinks of me as his daughter today…" she whispered and Madara smiled. "I'm guessing your conversation with father went much better than mine…" he said and she smiled slightly. "He made me cry, to be honest. My own father never saw me as anything useful. I was a waste of space in his eyes it seemed… but Tajima-sama… he believes in us…" she said and he nodded. "He also said it was a parent's duty to die before their children, so I'm still going to say your chat went much better." He said softly and she angled her face up at him.

"He said I should go to you, he said you were worried about me…" she said softly and a chuckle escaped his lips. "I was… I was very worried. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about the Senju ambushes happening right under your nose…" he said, his voice sincere and she nodded. "I understand, you didn't want to worry me… but… I already knew…" she said and he seemed surprised. "How?" he asked and a saddened smile tugged at her lips. "Hiseki has been abnormally quite for the past two weeks, he reeked of blood, and I knew it wasn't Senju… the smell of it burned my senses… just like a flame…" she whispered and he hugged her to him tightly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you…" he said and she nodded in his embrace. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He said and she smiled. "I refuse to allow anything happen to you, Izuna, or Tajima… if I can help it… I will protect you all." She said and he ruffled her hair. "Spoken like a true Uchiha… family oriented…" he said softly and rolled onto his back with a sigh. "I'm going to take a nap. I have a migraine… not as bad as it was… but it's still bad." He chuckled and she smiled at him.

"Would you like me to leave?" she asked and he shook his head. "No… you can stay. If you want that is, I'm not going to make you stay like some old pervert." He chuckled and she laughed as well. "I think I will stay as well. Just over on this side of the bed so you can have your stretching room." She said and he shrugged. "If that's what you want, I'm supposedly a huge heater." He said with a grin and she laughed. "Well if I get too cold over here under this nice heavy blanket I might scoot a bit closer." She giggled and he snorted. "Yet again, your loss." He said and she sent him a look that made him laugh.

"My loss as in what? I'm still here aren't I?" she asked and he grinned. "But you're not over here. That's the difference." He said and the bed creaked with his movement of tossing the blanket back a bit. "But…" he began, and turned towards her. "I can make it better." He chuckled and her brows scrunched up. "Like how?" she asked accusingly and he chuckled. "Like this!" he said as he lunged across the bed and tackled her, which sent them both into the floor with him on top and her tangled in the blankets. "That hurt you know…" she whined and he chuckled. "But now you can't run away my little burrito." He said as he lifted her and the blankets off the floor to toss her back on the bed.

She giggled when she hit the futon and bounced. "You play too much." She said with a giggle and he chuckled. "But you like it don't you?" he asked and she smiled. "I like you." She said and he clutched his chest. "Oh… the pain… why must you wound me so?" he asked with a grin and she laughed as he flopped on the bed next to her. "I'm sure you realize that your melodrama has no effect on me since I can't see, right?" she asked and he grinned. "But I know what does have an effect on you, and you know it too." He said with a haughty tone and her face felt enflamed.

"R-really? You're going to stoop that low?" she stammered and he chuckled. "Why not?" he asked, halfway leaning over her from his side; his other arm fiddling with her ebony blue bangs. "because I might faint." She said and he chuckled. "You haven't yet, so maybe you grew out of that." He said and leaned a little closer. "I'm not sure about that…" she said nervously and he chuckled. "Neither am I, but I think I can make you get used to it." he chuckled and her face flamed even redder. "Madara…" she whined and he grinned even wider. "Stop being a flirt." She whined and he laughed.

"No… I don't think I will. I like your reactions too much to quit." He chuckled and was about to close the gap between them when his door slid open once more. His shoulder drooped and he slowly looked over at his father who rolled his eyes and motioned for him to exit the room for a moment. "Ah… alas… our dearest father has called upon me." he sighed and Hinata giggled as he rolled away from her. "I will be back, Hinata-chan." He chuckled and left the room.

:-:-:-:-:

He frowned at his father, what he was saying meant they were all in trouble once more. The crease in his brow wouldn't fade, and he didn't see this headache fading any time soon either. He supposed he should figure out some sort of plan with the help of his father and brother. His eyes flickered towards the woman sitting on the edge of his futon, he should include her too, she could help as well. He thought over this with a small prideful smile. "Alright I'm going to arrange a meeting; this one is going to include me, you, Izuna, and Hinata. We must consult on this now." Madara said and Tajima nodded.

"Hinata, come here for a moment please. Seems my nap is going to have to be postponed for a while." He said and she nodded as she stood. "Alright, shall I signal for Izuna to come in?" she asked and Madara cracked a smile. "Sure." He said and made completely sure that he toned down his sensory skills because if he didn't, her chakra would have sent him into a sensor meltdown. Those were never good. Hinata folded her hands together in front of her and her chakra flared, the feeling of her chakra when she did this was similar to that of being punched in the stomach with a cinderblock, to a point actually. If Madara wouldn't have minimized his sensory abilities he would be on the floor writhing, seemingly allergic to all sounds, colors, and forms of light. He would much rather not have to spend another week in a dark room like he had when she had discovered her ability to flare her chakra in said manner.

No one had told her what happened, they had just said he had a special mission to do and left it at that. No one wanted to upset the bluenette with the actual reasoning for his sudden departure. Izuna came running in and he skidded to a stop right beside Hinata. "Yeah?" he asked, seemingly irritated with the fact he had been summoned that way. "Sorry Izuna-kun it was urgent." Hinata said and he cracked a smile at her and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw… its fine Hinata-chan! If it is urgent then that's fine." He said with a smile directed at her as he tossed an arm over her shoulder and half hugged her.

Tajima watched Madara for any jealousy what so ever, but saw none, not even a barely concealed glint in his eyes or posture. If Madara was jealous of how close Izuna and Hinata actually were, he was very good at hiding it. "Anyways…" Madara began with a frown, "The Senju seem to be plotting something. They've pulled back all their men that have been hiding out in the surrounding woods and ambushing us." Madara said and Tajima nodded. "I noticed that the forest was bustling with deer activity once more. Even the squirrels are out and about once more." Tajima explained and Hinata furrowed her brows.

"What of the birds, are they silent or do they sing?" she asked and Tajima looked over at her. "They are singing once more as well, which gives me this unsettling feeling that once they silence once more, there will be trouble." He said and she nodded. "So what are we going to do?" she asked and Madara frowned. "We are going to have to prepare for an all out war…" he said and she frowned as well. "Let's sit down to discuss this further…" Tajima said and they followed him into the dining room and sat at the table.

"I'm going to go get Hiseki…" she said as she decided not to sit, and the three men nodded. She turned and made her way out of the main house. She approached his home and knocked lightly on the door, which opened at the slightest of touches. She gently pushed open his front door with furrowed brows. "Hiseki-san?" she called out as she sent out a wave of her chakra. Her chakra brushed over what appeared to be someone and she walked softly over to the person.

She crouched and reached out to the person, her hands finding their face easily. "Hiseki?" she asked and began to pat his cheeks lightly. He gave no response so she began to feel for his shoulder, then for his nape to attempt to find a pulse. She couldn't quite feel for it at the distance she was at so she scooted a bit closer until she set her hand down on the floor and it felt warm her other hand began to shake as she reached up and placed her hand on his nape, only for a warm, thick liquid to flow over her hand as she placed her hand there.

She stood and the feeling of fire burning on her hands wouldn't leave. She stood and grabbed a blanket from the closet near the room. She made her way back around and covered him with the blanket. She felt for his hand which hadn't been covered and found a paper crumpled in his grasp. She couldn't quite describe how she felt at the moment… she just felt cold. Through and through it felt like she was cold, as if she just felt nothing at all. "You may not have been the kindest person, Hiseki-san… but I'm sorry this happened to you…" she whispered and stood to her full height.

Her heart was heavy, and she knew she must be covered in his life's blood, since she had been on her hands and knees trying to find a pulse. Her hands stopped shaking and she made her way back to the Uchiha main house. "Madara… Izuna… Tajima… the birds have stopped singing." She said and they turned to face her. Madara jumped up and immediately began searching for a wound on her, but a frown crossed her lips. "This blood burns me… it singes the skin and burns the senses. Its Uchiha blood." She said and she could hear the friction of Madara's fists being clenched.

"Who's blood?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Hiseki. I covered him with a nice blanket from his closet. He did not deserve to be left on the floor in such a manner. I would have moved him if I had been able…" she said and the frown deepened on her lips. "Here." She began and handed him the crumpled paper from her pocket. "I have no idea what this is, but I think it might be of use." She said and Madara furrowed his brows as he unraveled the paper. "Where did you find this?" Madara asked and she furrowed her brows.

"I pulled it from his hand." She said and Madara grimaced. "He wouldn't tell me where she was…" Madara said and Hinata, Izuna, and Tajima looked at him strangely. She could hear the movement of the paper but she didn't know the exact importance of it. "Dear Kami… they've started." Tajima muttered and she could feel the anger in their chakra signatures. "What is it…" she asked, her voice slightly demanding, surprising them. "It's a drawing of you…" Madara said. "The 'she' that he was saying hiseki wouldn't give them the location of… that was you." Madara explained and Hinata clenched her fist.

"They are still after me?" she muttered with a frown. She took a deep breath then released it slowly. "Alright then…" she said and sent out a wave of chakra that unsettled the three in the room with her. "Hinata… what are you doing?" Izuna asked, but she said nothing. She just continued to send out wave after wave of chakra. Soon enough the Uchiha clan members began flowing the house. "What's going on?" An elder Uchiha male asked frantically and Madara watched Hinata as she dropped her hands.

Madara opened his mouth to speak but a tone he had never heard Hinata take, cut him off. "They've started again. This time they have the audacity to strike one of our own within his home. They cut him down like an animal and left him in the floor of his home to be found whenever." Hinata said and the Uchiha clan turned to face her. "They slit his throat and the only reason is because they are searching for me once more. I will beg forgiveness for the trouble I have caused to your wonderful family… but I will not stand for others being slaughtered because of me." she said in a commanding tone.

Her tone of voice was similar to one he used often, usually in battle when his clan members were in trouble and he needed them to listen to commands. "I understand fully that a select few of you would much rather just drop me on their doorstep, but if you do this… you would be playing right into their hands. I'm not saying this to save my own life, I'm saying this because you all know that is what Butsuma wants more than anything." Hinata said and Madara watched as his clan members listened to her in a contemplative silence.

"What do you suppose we do then? If handing you over is still a death sentence to us all?" one woman asked with a sneer. "I will protect you to the best of my ability as we fight." Hinata said and someone laughed. Madara felt the rage boiling up within him for having the audacity to laugh at her. "Laugh all you wish, but if you deny me… I cannot help you." Hinata said and the man snorted with laughter once more. Hinata took yet another deep breath and held out a single hand.

The markings crawled across her skin and some of the Uchiha made noises of awe as the marks formed a deep red outline on her face. The lines trailed up over the edges of her closed eyes to form an odd circular shape on her forehead. Her eyes opened and pure white unseeing orbs filled the space. "You there, in the center… with the dwindling chakra… you must forgive me. I never meant to block off those points when you attacked me that night. I guess I should have realized you were one of the few who thought of me as a blind whore…" she said accusingly and the crowd of Uchiha parted to reveal him.

Madara's glare settled on him and the man crossed his arms over his chest. "I should have told the Senju exactly where you were so they could have done exactly what I had attempted to do." He spat and Madara started towards the man, his teeth gritting loudly. Hinata closed her eyes once more once she heard the noise of the man's lack of air. The sound of him struggling to breath didn't affect her like it had before. Hinata's eyes opened once more and the space where the solid white orbs had been was yet again unoccupied. Her breath hitched and she spun around and took off towards the doorway, but the moment she got out of the room and out of sight of the Uchiha she collapsed and Izuna had to catch her.

"Hinata, are you alright?" he asked and he rolled her to face him completely. She was cringing in pain and he couldn't figure out why. He reached up towards her face and it was hot, her face was burning up. He placed his hand on the pale of her cheek, but it was cold. He moved his hand over and placed it on her forehead where the marking still was and his eyes went wide as he pulled his hand away, sporting a burn in the same pattern as her markings.

"Deactivate it!" he snapped and tears fell from her empty eyes. "I'm trying…" She whispered, her voice trembling slightly. 'You said you would take the right path…' katsuyu's voice said softly in her mind. "I'm sorry… forgive me…" she whispered and Izuna furrowed his brows. "Sorry for what?" he asked, but she whimpered one last time as the marking faded away, leaving pale burns on her skin where the marking was. The burns soon faded away completely just as the markings had. Her hands reached up and felt across her face to feel if the burns were actually gone.

"Hinata are you alright?" Tajima asked as he entered the back room. Hinata bit her lip and sent what she hoped was a pleading look at Izuna, who sighed, but said nothing. "Yeah, I'm alright." Hinata said and Tajima sighed. "They need you out there Hinata." He said and she nodded. Izuna helped her back to her feet and her voice lost itself when she realized she's had Hiseki's blood on her hands when she'd run them over her face. Her hands fisted at her side and she wiped at her face with her sleeves, no doubt staining them with her blood.

She stood straight up and walked out into the room where the rest of the Uchiha were cleaning up what had once been an Uchiha. "Take him and drop him on their doorstep." Madara sneered. "This is also a warning for anyone else who thinks siding with the Senju, who have massacred us since we crossed paths, is a good idea. If you betray my family… I will cut you down." He snapped and the rest of the Uchiha cheered their agreement. "Traitors get no mercy." One elder spat and the rest of them vocalized their agreement.

"Now, Hinata…" Madara started as he turned to face her, "What do you think we should do?" he asked and she wiped her hands on her shirt once more. "I believe… we should bury Hiseki, give him a proper burial. A nice one, because despite how much he hated me, he didn't tell them where I was." She said and the Uchiha clan nodded in agreement. "I want to personally bestow a gift upon his grave for the gratitude of him sparing my life…" she said and they stared at her in slight surprise.

"My life is forever indebted to him. So I shall gift him a part of me." Hinata said and Madara, Izuna, and Tajima stared at her in utter shock. "A part of my soul was sealed into this stone by lady katsuyu the slug. I bestow the gift of my soul to him to protect him even in death." Hinata said as she pulled out a jewel necklace. It reminded Madara of the blue one he had seen Hashirama wearing more often than not. The color of the stone was a reddish pink, the exact color of Hinata's aura when he was using his sensory abilities to search her out.

"Hinata…" Madara began and she frowned. "I will protect him in the afterlife, because I owe him my life." She said sternly and he nodded. "Alright. I'm sure he would very much appreciate your assistance." Madara said and a slow smile crossed his lips. The rest of the Uchiha mirrored his respect for her it seemed, their chakras all fell at the same tone. "Then…" she began, her voice cold; "We wait for them to attempt an attack, and we leave no survivors." She said and Madara watched as the color of the stone darkened to a more reddish color than it had been pink.

:-:-:-:-:

Tobirama sat across the small table from his father, Hashirama sat right next to him. "So, what is the report Daisuke-san." Butsuma asked, his eyes firmly planted on the pale man. Daisuke was a man that Butsuma had come across while marveling his artistic talents. He could bring his paintings to life if he used chakra enhanced ink. He had been asking Daisuke to keep tabs on the Hyuuga girl. Seeing as Daisuke found her a lovely subject, he agreed; as long as he could continue to pain the young woman, of course.

Hashirama looked at the pale man curiously. His ebony hair and eyes resembled Uchiha, but the sinister smile said something else. As a travelling artist, he would draw anything that he found to be an exceptional subject. He didn't always see the 'subjects' as human, but with the Hyuuga girl… it was different. He claimed she was a goddess among humans and was intent on drawing every aspect of her. Butsuma cared nothing for this, but allowed the man to do as he pleased as long as he kept an eye on her.

"The one named Hiseki is dead. Seems someone went and slit his throat." Daisuke said and continued to sketch on his sketch pad. Careful strokes of his pencil outlined a woman's face that was contorted in hidden rage. As he continued to draw they realized that this was yet another drawing of the Hyuuga girl. This time she stood there, her face holding silent rage while she stared at her hands. As he began to flood the image with color red flowed over the very much detailed fingers of the image. Red stained her knees and all down her arms in the picture. Daisuke drew the picture so swiftly that it surprised Butsuma himself.

"The lovely lady stumbled across his corpse." Daisuke said and Butsuma frowned. "Did you kill him Daisuke? Or did you allow the assassin to do so like I had told?" he asked and Daisuke cocked his head to the side. "I allowed the Senju to kill him, I just presented the picture to the dead man." Daisuke said and Butsuma nodded. "Good… did you find out her exact location?" Butsuma asked and a sinister grin crossed Daisuke's lips. "I was not told by the dead man you see, I found her by myself." He said and Butsuma raised a brow.

Daisuke flipped the page on his sketch book and turned it to them once more. It was a drawing of Tajima and Hinata by the river where he had her head tucked beneath his chin and had his arm wrapped around her shoulder while tears poured over her cheeks. "Such a touching scene, don't you agree?" Daisuke asked with an endearing tone. "I believe, if I heard correctly; Tajima Uchiha had just claimed her as his beloved daughter." Daisuke said with a real smile this time, instead of the sinister one he had been sporting.

"Indeed…" Butsuma said with a smirk. Tobirama and Hashirama exchanged glances, but said nothing; they knew their father had something planned now just because of this new knowledge. "I also have these two… the Uchiha are just so touching… they would make such an amazing romance novel…" Daisuke said and flipped the page on his sketch book once more to show them his detailed drawing of Madara with worry etched into his features as he reluctantly relinquished his grasp on Hinata's hand. He flipped the page down to the picture right after the one with Tajima and Hinata and right to another with Madara and Hinata. In this one it was drawn through a window and had Hinata laying beside Madara on his futon running her fingers through his hair.

"Such a lovely pair…" Daisuke chuckled and Butsuma raised a brow. Hashirama and Tobirama carefully took the sketch book from Daisuke and began looking over all the drawings he had of Hinata. The book was full of them, some even as far back as to when she still wore the wolf mask. Some even had Madara's mother in them. There was one that Daisuke had drawn where Hinata had killed the Senju who had killed Aurora, who lay at the feet of the Senju she had just slaughtered. This man had been following her from day one pretty much.

"I Have other books. I have so many books of the goddess." He said and his sinister grin crossed his lips. "I even have drawings of things that didn't happen, my imagination went wild. Such a magnificent picture those made." He said and Hashirama furrowed his brows. This man was a creep, and yet his father associated so well with him it was scary. Tobirama flipped through the sketch book and stopped on a picture that saddened him. "Kawarama…" he said with furrowed brows. It was a drawing of Hinata as she cleaned Kawarama up for his burial, her mask was pushed up onto her head and her eyes were a beautiful moonlit white as she placed a saddened kiss on Kawarama's forehead.

"These are all things I saw her doing. Lovely woman with lovely eyes… such a sorrow that those lovely moonlit eyes are now an empty abyss…" Daisuke muttered with a sigh. Tobirama looked over at him and saw that the man was actually sincere with something he had said. "Enough pity on the Uchiha whore… we must think strategy." Butsuma sighed with an irate look. A glint in Daisuke's eyes said he was not pleased with the way Butsuma spoke of his goddess, but he wasn't going to say anything because he was getting paid to draw the lovely woman and he liked the idea.

Butsuma's eyes lit up as if he had just come across a massive realization. "I have the perfect idea." He chuckled and folded his hands in front of his face. "This is perfect. Tobirama, Hashirama, follow me." Butsuma said and they stood. Daisuke stood and followed them through the compound as well, he was curious as to what this brilliant idea was that Butsuma had come up with. "Akane! Itama!" Butsuma called out and the white haired woman and her bi-color haired son followed her out to him.

"I have a plan to defeat the Uchiha once and for all." He said and Akane didn't seem too enthralled, but Itama seemed hopeful. "Hashirama, if you disagree with me you will find yourself in an early grave…" Butsuma said, cutting his eyes to his eldest son whom of which had a flicker of fear flash through his eyes. "Yes, father…" he said and Butsuma smirked. "Good, now you're being obedient…" he chuckled then turned back to face his wife and youngest son.

"Alright…" he began," here's the plan…"

:-:-:-:-:

Hinata frowned as she walked through the shinobi merchant village with Tajima. "What is wrong Hinata?" he asked and she turned to face him. "If they had found me, Hiseki would still be alive…" she whispered and Tajima sighed. "He did what any loyal shinobi would have. He prevented the information from getting out. He was protecting you." Tajima said and Hinata furrowed her brow. "But why? He hated me like I was some sickening disease before, why would he just suddenly want to protect me?" she asked and Tajima frowned for a second then thought of the drawing.

"Hinata… I can understand why he suddenly wanted to protect you…" he said and she furrowed her brows even deeper as he said this. "What do you mean?" she asked and he chuckled. "One day, you will see once more. I can promise you this… and on that day… Madara will show you that drawing. Then you will understand… once you realize the beauty of something, you want to protect it." he said and she frowned in his direction. "What do you mean…" she said and he chuckled. "Whoever has been drawing you, they have a way of making you look ethereal in the drawings… like a goddess…" he said and she sighed.

"I guess it is something only those who can see, can actually appreciate." She sighed and he chuckled. "But… what do you mean by you're sure that one day I will be able to see again?" she asked and he chuckled. "It's a secret my dearest, a secret only I know about." He said with a wink, but sighed and rubbed his forehead as he realized once more she could not see him do that. "I winked, just so you know." He chuckled and she released a giggle.

Hinata sniffed deeply and a small smile broke out over her lips. "I smell flowers." She said and he chuckled. "Are we going to give Hiseki flowers as well?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes! Of course!" she said and he smiled slightly. They picked out the red and white roses that Aurora had always adored and they made their way back to the Uchiha compound. They approached Hiseki's grave and they watched as Madara and Izuna placed his grave stone.

Hinata approached his grave and set the roses in a vase on the lower part of the stone. She removed the jeweled necklace and leaned to place it upon his grave, but as if he were rejecting it; it flew right out of her hands and at Madara. Madara had caught the amulet and stared at the reddish jewel in confusion. It hadn't darkened any more, but it still felt odd. He looked up and peered through the jewel at Hiseki's grave. His image stood on his grave, he pointed at Madara and it appeared he was mouthing something along the lines of 'You must keep it.' Madara nodded lightly and Hiseki's image vanished.

"I believe he wants me to keep it…" Madara said and Hinata furrowed her brow, but nodded. She hadn't understood what had even happened. "He took it from me and gave it to you… is he saying you need my protection more?" she asked and he frowned. "I have no idea… but he wants me to have it. That is all I know…" he said and she nodded. "Alright, now…" she began and everyone clenched their fists. "We protect our home, we protect our family, and we leave none of them alive." She said and stood.

They all returned to their own homes and began getting prepared for what was going to be an all out clan war between the two. Hinata pulled on her armor, and with little to no assistance at all from Madara, she strapped and buckled it all together. She pulled on a plain white mask that held no designs what so ever nor did it have any eye holes what so ever, and she strapped a katana to her back. Her post was atop the highest point of the Uchiha compound, that way she could warn them when the Senju were getting closer.

She sat cross legged in the small tower and sent out soft pulses of chakra that acted as her echo location. As soon as one pulse would come back with no results she would send out another and then another. She had only been up there a few hours, possibly three, when one of her chakra pulses reverberated back at her violently, meaning there were a lot of people hiding there. She clapped her hands together and sent out the warning pulse to the Uchiha, so they would get prepared for battle, but would not expose themselves yet.

When the Senju began attempting to sneak into houses, she jumped down from the tower and lunged, as well as the rest of the Uchiha clan. The sound of metal hitting metal was all she heard around her. She hadn't even pulled her blade yet, she was still taking the men out with her taijutsu. She spun and sent one man flying with a kick to the jaw. She wasn't killing them as of yet, but she was incapacitating them. Her brow furrowed, these were just the men with the underdeveloped chakra systems, where were the stronger Senju hiding.

She furrowed her brow and sent out her chakra pulses once more, relying on her comrades around her to fight off the Senju around her once she had quietly explained to them what she was doing. By the time she had found them, it was too late. A large and sharp root was headed straight for her and she was too focused on pinpointing their location to realize it. She heard someone yell her name loudly then the next thing she knew was something had splattered all down the front of her, burning her skin. And something sharp hit the dead center of her mask in the forehead.

The mask crumbled and fell away, but she was frozen in place and too frightened to move. Her mouth hung agape as a hand traced over her face and something warm dripped down from where the fingers travelled. "I told you I had a secret…" his raspy voice began and her empty eyes snapped open in her surprise. "And now I want you to keep it." he said and her hands began to tremble as all air left her lungs as his movement became focused on her eyes. Her right eye first began to flutter as a glow filled the once empty socket.

Then her left, and then her sight began to slowly return. Her breath came out shaky as he grinned at her as he coughed once more. Her eyes took in the image before her and they began to shake, her vision became blurred by her tears as he held onto the large root that protruded from his stomach. "You have done well, Hinata… now… please continue to do so." He said softly as his form went limp and her pupils dilated. Her shaky hands reached behind her and grabbed the blade from her back.

:-:_:-:

Madara turned to look at Hinata once he heard his father call out her name. His own yell was caught in his throat when his father jumped in front of her to take the hit himself and lessen the speed at which the root was going. He grit his teeth as he watched his father pass along his eyes to her. As he watched her reaction to this, his chest clenched in pain. Her shaky hands reached for her blade and he broke his gaze from her for a moment to dodge a hit from a Senju which he kicked in the gut and impaled him on his own blade.

His eyes flickered back to Hinata once the scream ripped from her throat and she lunged forwards and pulled Tajima from the root and set him on the ground and draped her Uchiha cloak over him. "Pitiful… I was aiming for you…" Butsuma's voice echoed over the sound of the blades clashing against each other. Madara grit his teeth and lunged at the Senju surrounding him. He held absolutely no mercy for them as he continued to cut them down using his chain scythe and fan.

An enraged yell escaped Hinata's lungs and his eyes flickered over to her once more. His eyes widened in shock when she lunged forwards and began cutting down Senju like their lives didn't even matter. A flash caught his eyes and he peered down at the once pinkish jewel, it was now blood red, matching the current color of her aura. He frowned, this was changing her and the jewel was proof of this. The red markings flashed over her skin and Madara knew she was not going to give in this time.

Her blade splattered blood all over her and the Uchiha around her. They seemed slightly disturbed by the fact she had changed so swiftly, but none were objecting. A flash of white caught his eye and he turned to see Akane Senju had joined the battle as well. He wasn't at all surprised when the men of his clan targeted her and cut her down swiftly, it had actually been Izuna who had inflicted the finishing blow on the woman who had stared up at him from the ground with eyes filled with fear. Her last words being, "I never wanted this, I'm sorry." Izuna had still cut her down without mercy, staring right into the eyes of one Tobirama Senju when he did so.

His eyes flickered over to Hinata and noticed that her enraged onslaught had only stopped when her blade made contact with Itama Senju's shaky blade. She pulled her blade away from his and stood to her full height. Her dark eyes freezing the young Senju in his place because of the sheer coldness residing there. "Move, Itama. My quarrel is not with you." He had heard her say and he watched her maneuver around the young Senju, who hit his knees after she strolled past him.

She was focused on Butsuma himself now, and that was the only Senju she was going to fight from here on out. Madara furrowed his brow and continued to watch Izuna ruthlessly cut down the Senju. This was war… he hated war… he supposed this had come from asking Hinata to assist him in the planning of the retaliation a week ago, but he couldn't blame her… this was not her fault. His eyes flickered over to the young Senju whom Hinata had spared, only to see one of the younger Uchiha males had cut him down. "Hinata, come back. We are done here." He yelled and the blunette sheathed her blade and made her way to where Tajima's body lay under her cloak.

Her eyes were glazed over as she hit her knees, she was in a state of shock. He noticed this with a grimace, because once she snapped out of her shocked state… she will most likely not remember the slaughter she had commited. He briefly looked over and saw a tearful Hashirama lifting a lifeless Itama off the ground, then his eyes flickered to Tobirama whose face was buried in the nape of his mother's neck as he mourned her death. His eyes flickered back over at Hinata who was now laying on her side facing his father's body, her eyes still devoid of anything, signaling she still hadn't gotten over her state of shock.

The marks on her forehead were beginning to emit some sort of steam, but she showed no signs of being in pain. "Izuna…" he called and Izuna began looking around in confusion. "Where's father?" he asked and Madara furrowed his brows. His chest clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Madara. Where's dad." Izuna began shakily, his tone getting frantic. "He's gone… he's gone Izuna…" he said and struggled to withhold his tears. Izuna's face contorted into intense pain.

"No…" he began, "No… no… no! This can't be…" he said as he took off running. "Oh Kami no! NO!" he yelled as he hit his knees beside Hinata and his father. Izuna threw Hinata's cloak from his father's body and struggled to pull his father's body into his lap. "No… NO!" he sobbed as he cradled his father's body to him within shaky arms as he rocked back and forth with his father's body tightly in his grasp. Tears streaked over his cheeks and splashed onto his father as he cried.

"Why…?" he sobbed and pulled his father even closer to him. He ran his hands over his father's face and clutched his head close to his chest. Saddened laughter choked out from him. "You old baka…" he sobbed softly and clutched his body close to him once more. "He… he only sacrificed himself so he could give her his eyes…" Izuna sobbed and Madara clenched his fists in anger. "That was why you said your duty was to die before your children? There were other ways…" he ground out and hit his knees.

"I… I should have known…" Hinata's broken voice whispered, causing Madara to look at her. "One day, you will see once more. I can promise you this… and on that day… Madara will show you that drawing. Then you will understand… once you realize the beauty of something, you want to protect it." she said, mimicking the tone of voice Tajima had used when he had explained this to her. "What do you mean by you're sure that one day I will be able to see again?" she repeated the question she had asked earlier and Madara watched her with furrowed brows. "It's a secret my dearest, a secret only I know about." She said and mimicked a sigh before she repeated the last of what their father had said to her. "I winked, just so you know."

"So I should have known… I should have been smart enough to realize… but I was dumb… so very dumb… I just giggled and thought nothing of it…" she muttered, her voice a single tone as she spoke. Madara lifted her off the ground since she showed no signs of coming out of her trance any time soon. Once Izuna had gathered his father into his arms completely, thunder roared across the sky. Not long after the Kami began to shed their tears for the ones lost in this battle.

The rain washed over them and left trails of diluted red across their skin. Hinata's coal black eyes began to darken as soon as the water began trailing over her skin. "Madara…" she whispered, her voice filled with awe as she reached up to run her fingers across his face, as if to see if her sight was real. She reached up and ran her fingers over her forehead and she felt a cut in her forehead, it wasn't deep but the moment she felt it her eyes drifted over to Izuna, who was carrying Tajima close to his body.

Hinata reached over and tugged on Tajima's hand. "Tajima…" she began as she gently tugged at his hand once more. "Tajima…" she said and he could hear the desperation in her voice this time. "Tajima-otousan…" she said and he could hear the sadness and fear thickening her voice. She tugged his hand once more before the tears began to fall. "Otou-san… otou-san…" she sobbed, her voice thick with her tears. Madara's chest clenched as he and Izuna continued towards the compound.

He knew Izuna was in pain as he listened to Hinata's pleas as well. His eyes were shadowed by his hair and tears were visibly streaming down over his cheeks. She sounded so broken, like a child who couldn't understand the concept of death, but was begging for her lost one to wake up. "Hinata…" Madara called softly to her but she was still focused on her attempts to get him to answer her. "Hinata please…" he pleaded, but she continued, her voice thickening each time she pleaded with him to answer her. "Hinata, I'm begging you stop." Madara said as he set her down on his doorway and hugged her tightly, his tears streaming over his cheeks and onto her shoulder.

Izuna carried his father into the house and left Madara and Hinata to figure things out. Hinata wailed in agony as she watched Izuna carry Tajima's body away. "I failed… I failed! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed and clutched tighter to him. "You didn't fail. I promise you…" Madara said sadly, but she continued to sob loudly and cling to him. "I'm so sorry… I failed you… I failed you all." She sobbed and he clutched her tightly. "I'm so sorry I failed you…" she sobbed.


End file.
